The majority of food allergen recalls are caused by preventable labeling errors, according to a recent analysis of recall data for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) –regulated products.

Advocacy group Consumer Reports (CR) has compiled a list of the ten most high-risk foods, based on recall and foodborne illness outbreak data collected from federal food regulatory agencies.

Fresh Ideation Food Group of Baltimore, Maryland has recalled more than 400 products due to the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Vendors that sold recalled products include Amtrak, which served affected foods to its customers on the Acela and Northeast regional train lines.

A recent study analyzing food allergen recalls in the UK from 2016–2021 has revealed allergens to be the most prevalent cause, and milk to be the most commonly implicated allergen.

Recalls are an integral element of the comprehensive food safety system in the U.S. Removing potentially life-threatening products from store shelves and home pantries is essential, and making this process more efficient for the food banks and pantries is vital. The modernization of the current recall system must be inclusive of the entire distribution chain—including the real "last mile." 

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)’s annual report for 2021–2022 summarizes the agency’s recent work on a range of significant food safety proposals, its monitoring and surveillance of the food supply, and its food recalls and food safety incident response.

Errors involving product contamination, misbranding, and undeclared allergens remain the three leading causes of food recalls. Since employees are the cornerstone for preventing allergen and gluten adulteration, providing proper training to staff can prevent errors that could lead to a recall.

In July 2022, FDA unveiled an enhanced Enforcement Report Subscription Service for recalls that allows users, including industry and consumers, the option to receive notifications of new and updated recalls of FDA-regulated products posted to the application using custom keywords.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded its internal review of the agency’s response to the U.S. infant formula supply crisis, which details key findings and recommendations that will allow the agency to respond more quickly during food safety emergencies.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with prominent foodborne illness attorney Bill Marler about the deadly 1993 E. coli outbreak in ground beef served by Jack in the Box restaurants along the U.S. West Coast. Marler defended Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the outbreak, as well as hundreds of other victims in a class-action lawsuit. The story of this outbreak—which led to regulatory changes by USDA to declare E. coli an illegal adulterant in ground beef—and its ensuing legal and industry battles, is told in the book Poisoned by author Jeff Benedict. As the central figure in Benedict's book, Marler tells his story of the 1993 outbreak, as well as his outlook on the future of food safety legislation in the U.S.