According to Consumer Affairs publication, there have been 154 recalls filed with federal food regulators due to contamination as of Dec. 30, 2024. The three big pathogens, E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella, have been responsible for those recalls. These stats are up compared to 87 recalls in 2023 and the highest number since 165 recalls in 2019. These numbers were available from the Food Industry Counsel.
Listeria recalls made the news with the biggest from BrucePac, which recalled more than 11.7 million pounds of ready-to-eat poultry and meat products in October. No illnesses were reported.
Boar’s Head also made news when more than 7 million pounds of deli meat was recalled and the contaminated meat hospitalized dozens of people. The CDC linked 10 deaths to the outbreak.
In December, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced actions to tighten Listeria prevention.
“As a science-based regulatory agency, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is constantly looking at ways we can and should evolve our processes to protect the public, maintain confidence in America’s food supply, and prevent foodborne illness,” said Dr. Emilio Esteban, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety. “These steps are common sense improvements to our work that will strengthen our food safety net as we continue improving the agency’s work to align with the best available science and practices.”
Salmonella contamination resulted in 61 recalls last year, more than doubling from 30 in 2023. It was the most since 98 recalls in 2018, reported meatingplace.com
In addition, E. coli recalls rose from 11 in 2023 to 13 in 2024, the most since 2019’s 29 recalls.
Additional info can be found from the CDC.
