It will come as no surprise to avid Food Safety Magazine readers that we have a beef (pun intended) with the current recall system. This is the third article in a series focusing on how the system is failing those it is meant to serve. The previous articles can be read here1 and here.2 Recall modernization is a food safety policy priority at Stop Foodborne Illness, as the current system is outdated and lacks consistency between regulatory agencies, and the language utilized creates confusion for consumers.
Recalls are the last best hope to remove potentially harmful food from the home pantries of consumers. They also create unintended consequences for the true "last mile"—the food donation pipeline. Stop Foodborne Illness reached out to its partners at Feeding America to provide perspective on an often overlooked, but increasingly critical, part of the recall stakeholder group: food banks and the pantry network. Feeding America estimates that it provided food assistance to over 53 million people in 2021.3 It is a staggering number that increased during the pandemic and has not yielded.