Many food companies have recently pulled products from store shelves and menus that pose safety risks, make customers sick, or even cause death.

Earlier this month, TreeHouse Foods, a manufacturer private label brands, recalled dozens of frozen waffle and pancake products It is sold at stores such as Kroger and Target due to possible Listeria contamination.

Last week, Costco smoked salmon And Fresh Express salad bowls It was also recalled due to Listeria concerns. No illnesses have been associated with these products.

additional 90 E. coli cases It’s laced with slivers of onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders in 13 states. One person died and 27 people were hospitalized. There have been 59 cases of Listeria since July Depends on Boar’s Head productsIt caused the death of 10 people.

Unsafe farming practices, unsanitary facilities, the rise of prepared foods and ingredients not yet subject to regulatory review have increased foodborne illnesses.

Recent federal actions aim to better prevent and detect pathogens in food supply chains. Food companies and regulatory agencies are testing more products more frequently and using more sophisticated methods to help identify contaminated products. And – counterintuitively – frequent reminders show that these efforts are working.

“The number of recalls we are seeing is really a sign that our public health and regulatory system is more robust,” said Craig Hedberg, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “That said, no one wants to see an epidemic.”

Despite multistate epidemics Recalls are increasing in the country, where the number was 13 the previous year and decreased to 9 in 2023. Food recalls between 2020 and 2023 increased by more than 20 percent Food Safety Journal analysis found.

The good thing about recall

“We have much better tools to detect and investigate outbreaks than we did 10 years ago,” Hedberg said. “We have the ability to do whole genome sequencing of individual isolates, which are bacteria that are isolated when someone is sick and when they seek healthcare.”

In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration was given mandatory recall authority under the Food Safety Modernization Act. fda regulates most food establishments; The Department of Agriculture regulates certain meat, poultry and egg product facilities.

“There are more ways the FDA can give you pain for not making your food safe,” said Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Because the FDA has recall authority, companies won’t sit around and wait for them to issue one. Hanson said that’s why they will issue a recall.

Why do we have epidemics in the first place?

Better detection methods explain some of the increase in recalls. So why do we have outbreaks or need recalls in the first place?

Our food system and diets are constantly changing, which means consumers are exposed to new ingredients, Hedberg said.

“Some of the dangers associated with new food sources or new foods are not fully realized until something happens,” Hedberg said.

For example, in 2022 about 400 people Gastrointestinal diseases and liver, bile duct and gallbladder problems developed after consuming lentil and leek crumbs. meal delivery service Daily Harvest.

These crumbs include taro flour, Hedberg said. FDA later determined it was unsafe.

Americans are spending more on ready-to-eat foods, including lunch meat, food expert Darin Detwiler told Marketplace in July. The increase in convenience foods means the risk of epidemics is higher.

For example, lunch meats should be kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the growth of Listeria, but the refrigerator at the store can be left open, said Detwiler, who teaches at Northeastern University. Employees also handle different food items and slice meats; This can increase the possibility of cross-contamination.

Cooking food can kill some bacteria. However, ready-made foods and delicatessen products come to stores pre-cooked.

Detwiler said that because consumers don’t cook meat for lunch, bacteria can linger on contaminated produce when you bring it home.

Listeria can also survive in food for a long time and processing facilities, which are “particularly difficult to control,” according to the FDA.

Prevention of foodborne illnesses

Because our food system is so complex, it may be difficult to find a single solution to address all foodborne illnesses, said Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, director of the University of Georgia’s research-focused Center for Food Safety.

Health inspectors issued numerous citations Housekeeping issues at Boar’s Head Jarratt in Virginia before the Listeria outbreak. And there was a salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers over the summer. may have been exposed to untreated canal water.

Bacteria such as E.coli and salmonella frequently found in animal manureIt can contaminate products grown too close to animal feedlots.

There are some broad measures that regulators and food manufacturers can implement to stop outbreaks.

Currently the distance between green leafy vegetables and feedlots Can range from 400 to 1000 feet. The Center for Food Safety’s Hanson suggests they should be at least 600 meters apart, but “the farther the better.”

Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from North Carolina, has introduced a bill that would further strengthen the FDA by allowing it to share important information with state and local regulatory agencies. To improve food safety. This includes: laboratory sampling information and consumer complaints. Currently, information is considered registeredAccording to Food Safety News, the agency is unable to share this.

FDA also has a new traceability rule It will come into force in 2026 and companies foods such as cheese, cucumbers, and green leafy vegetables Keeping additional records about these products as they move through the supply chain.

“It will make it easier for the FDA to look back across the supply chain and figure out where contamination is happening and where they can target recalls,” said Laurie Beyranevand, director of Vermont Law and the Graduate Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. School.