Are there more food recalls?

A friend said to me the other day, “It seems there’s an overabundance of food recalls lately,” which I took with a grain of salt. Could it be that it only appears this way because we’re more aware of them and other news, simply because we have more access to them? And according to the FDA, there actually aren’t more recalls than in the past.

Last year, a nationwide eye drop recall lasted months. This summer, a deadly listeria outbreak prompted a nationwide recall of Boar’s Head deli meat. McDonald’s briefly stopped making its famous Quarter Pounders after an E.coli outbreak that was later linked to slivered onions on the burgers, and organic baby and regular-sized carrots had their own recall due to E.coli contamination. Meanwhile, an egg recall over salmonella concerns had people checking their fridges. The latest recall involves several brands of cucumbers due to the presence of salmonella.

With all of this, it’s fair to wonder why there have been so many recalls lately. Has this always been the status quo and people are now paying closer attention? Or are there more policies in place to alert people to unsafe food? Or, perhaps most pressing: Is our food supply less safe than it was in the past?

Korin Miller – Published: Dec 12, 2024

According to the FDA spokesperson Janell Goodwin:

“The FDA takes its responsibility seriously to ensure the safety and proper labeling of the foods we eat,” Goodwin tells EatingWell. “While there may be a perception of more recalls, the number of food-related recalls in FY 2024 is generally consistent with years past.” She even provided a chart to show the comparison between the amount of recalls in 2024 versus the amount of recalls in each year since 2012.

While recall trends aren’t actually skyrocketing, it’s important to keep food safety top of mind. Goodwin says, “Consumers should know that while recalls may seem daunting, they indicate that the problem has been identified and is being fixed.” 

For more information on recalls, market withdrawals & safety alerts, please visit the FDA’s website