Can Food Recalls be Prevented?
What does it mean when food is recalled?
A food product becomes recalled by the manufacturer when there is evidence of contamination of the product. Recalls are located once a customer becomes sick or the company realizes the presence of an allergy or other contamination, such as metal or glass. The government or food company will notify the public when the food product appears to be contaminated.
Meat, poultry, and egg products are monitored under the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), while all other products are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Types of contaminated food.
The most common forms of food contamination include foodborne illness, metal or glass, or allergen contamination.
Foodborne illnesses are caused by increased levels of bacteria, viruses, parasites, or toxins in food. The most common foodborne illnesses are Listeria, E. coli, Hepatitis, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus (Food and Drug Administration, 2022). These illnesses occur from unrefrigerated, raw, unpasteurized, and undercooked products.
The presence of metal and glass can enter food products through poor manufacturing environments and a lack of quality assurance. When a glass object breaks, its contents can shatter and linger for weeks. When processing food in a facility with metal-based equipment, metal pieces can be processed with the food.
Almost every food package has allergen information disclosed. Companies will notify customers if nut-free products are produced in the same facility as peanut butter or other products containing nuts. Gluten-free products may share equipment with products that contain gluten. Although this is not a safe practice, companies produce items on such a large scale that cleaning equipment from product to product can become tedious. Some people are intensely allergic to ingredients, and even the most minute form of cross-contamination can cause anaphylaxis.
What is the process of recalling food?
When a company voluntarily recalls a food item due to contamination, they are required to notify the FSIS and create a plan of action within 24 hours of awareness (USDA, 2024). Once the FSIS is notified, a preliminary investigation will begin. If the FSIS needs further investigation, they will contact the Event Assessment Committee, which will classify the recall.
There are three different classifications of food recalls including:
Class 1: the food will cause severe health complications or death.
Class 2: the food will cause a remote probability of adverse health effects.
Class 3: the food violates a health safety regulation but is not a threat to human health (Caracciolo, 2024).
How can food recalls be prevented?
So far, in 2025, there have been 22 food recalls posted by the Food and Drug Administration (2025). This does not include drug recalls. With an immense amount of recalls so far, you may be wondering how food companies could be so careless. This is a very valid question. Mistakes happen, and it is in no way easy to monitor the thousands of products that are being made each day. However, preventative measures can be taken to lessen the amount of recalls each year.
Companies should practice safe and clean workplace habits. This includes employees washing their hands, wearing gloves, hair nets, and other sanitary clothing, cleaning surfaces, especially those that raw meat has touched, and scanning the area for debris and loose objects.
Regularly inspect raw food. Manufacturing companies should have a quality assurance team that inspects raw meat, poultry, and eggs before they reach each stage of manufacturing and leave the building. Many issues with food can be spotted right away.
The presence of foodborne illness should also be tested regularly to prevent the spread of disease.
A thorough audit of products can save many people from becoming sick and needing professional treatment.
How can you spot a bad food product?
Food manufacturing companies have an obligation to communicate with consumers about their food products. This includes handling and preparation instructions, storage, ingredients, and any other information regarding the contents (Gardner, 1993). Product labeling is often created with marketing strategies in mind and never safety initiatives. This can create confusion when searching for a safe and healthy product. Food products with clean yet vibrant designs often get bought because they elicit a strong response from the consumer. Taking the time to read and examine food labels can be time-consuming, but at the end of the day, it saves you and your family from illness.
When looking for eggs at the grocery store, one of the first things you typically see others do is open the carton to inspect the eggs. Customers are usually looking for cracked or discolored eggs. Another factor to take into account is smell. You may examine the package for unordinary colors, odors, textures, or temperature when looking for fresh meat. Yes, I have personally picked up a warm package of chicken breast in the grocery store. These practices are not typically expected of customers from food companies, but they should be. As paying customers, we have every right to know precisely what is in our food and how it is going to affect our health.
The FSIS puts all efforts forward to help consumers identify at-risk products. Some products may have a USDA inspection stamp on them to notify the public which products have been officially inspected. Official inspections may include lot numbers or ‘use by’ labels on food.
Can recalls be prevented?
Overall, food recalls cannot be completely prevented. A product may undergo intense investigation while under manufacturing, and something happens during the delivery process such as ranging temperatures that cause food to spoil. As consumers, we can do our best to examine the products we intend to buy before buying them and ensure we know where our food is coming from
References
Caracciolo, J. (2024, March 29). Food Recalls: What are They and How do They Work? The National Agricultural Law Center. https://nationalaglawcenter.org/food-recalls-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work/
Food and Drug Administration. (2022, February 17). What You Need to Know about Foodborne Illness. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/what-you-need-know-about-foodborne-illnesses
Food and Drug Administration. (2025, February 18). Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts
Gardner, S. (1993). Consumers and Food Safety: A food industry perspective. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. 1014-806X
U.S Department of Agriculture. (2024, September 26). Understanding FSIS Food Recalls. Food Safety and Inspection Service. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/understanding-fsis-food-recalls
