Food Recalls Increase As Emergency Warnings Are Issued Nationwide

The US Food and Drug Administration has already issued more than 50 recalls in 2024, raising concerns from Americans that food recalls are on the rise.

Since the start of this year, the FDA has issued 51 recalls, 48 ​​of which were for foods. The series of recalls comes after the FDA recalled 234 items in 2023. The recalls warn of potentially serious consequences to consumers due to the presence of undeclared allergens or potential bacterial contamination such as listeria. Affected products this year range from pet food to dried fruit and salad kits, among dozens of other items.

Research published by life science software company MasterControl in December found that food recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the FDA jumped 115 percent since 2018. There were 280 recalls issued between the same agencies in 2018, and the number more than doubled to 603 recalls issued in 2022.

In its research, MasterControl revealed another statistic:

“Child safety is the leading cause of recalls for the CPSC, with more than one in five recalls involving child and baby products — more than any other category,” the research said.

Most of the FDA recalls were foods and beverages, which made up 64 percent of the recalls. Food and beverage items are followed by medicines at 22 percent, animal and veterinary products at 6 percent, medical devices at 4 percent, dietary supplements at 2 percent and cosmetics at 1 percent, which Allergens are the most common reason behind FDA recalls.

Newsweek The FDA has been contacted by email for comment.

MasterControl identifies several factors as driving the increase in recalls. The Food Safety Modernization Act that became law in 2011 brought “the most significant reform of food safety laws in more than 70 years” and allowed the FDA to adopt stricter regulations over time, according to the research. Stricter regulations have also been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic due to testing and inspections taking place off-site.

The latest FDA recall includes dried mango from Golden Owl, raw cheddar cheese from Raw Farm LLC, and Baby’s Vitamin D3 Liquid from Nordic Naturals, citing undeclared ingredients, e coli contamination, and high levels of vitamin d3 levels, respectively, as the reason. behind the recalls.

Since the start of the year, the United States Department of Agriculture has issued 12 recalls, all of which are currently active. According to the USDA website, data for the last four years shows that USDA recalls are also increasing. In 2023, there were 89 recalls issued by the organization. The USDA issued 69 recalls in 2022, 63 in 2021 and 50 in 2020.

However, compared to previous years, the number of recalls is lower. There were 131 recalls issued in 2019, 133 issued in 2018, and 145 issued in 2017. The highest number of recalls since 2010 occurred in 2015 with 157 recalls.

Newsweek USDA has been contacted by email for comment.