Yes, food remembers Rose in 2024. Here’s what comes next

In 2024, food in the United States appeared to be rising. Between the worsening situation of listeria and coli and problems with undeclared allergens and other potential contaminants. There were 1,908 food and cosmetic recalls during the FDA’s 2024 fiscal year, which ran from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.

The FDA Food and Cosmetic Group recalls together, but contributing to the large number of recalls in 2024 was a listeria outbreak in… Pigs head and Procypakresulting in the recall of more than 15 million pounds of ready-to-eat foods.

Food recalls weren’t at an all-time high in 2024, but they were higher than they have been in some recent years, so we spoke with a food safety expert to get some answers.

Here’s a look at the recent history of food reminders and what to expect until 2025.

Were food recalls higher in 2024 than in 2023?

Yes. She couldn’t imagine the increase in alerts regarding food recalls. according to Data from the FDAduring fiscal year 2024, there were just over 1,900 food/cosmetic recalls.

Here’s how that stacks up to the past five years:

• in 2023, There was 1563 Food/cosmetic recall.
• in 2022, There was 1,809 Food/cosmetic recall.
• in 2021, There was 1,026 Food/cosmetic recall.
• in 2020, There was 1536 Food/cosmetic recall.
• in 2019, There was 2046 Food/cosmetic recall.

This means that recalls/facelifts for 2024 were the highest since 2019. But that’s not the full picture. Despite the increase in 2024, food/cosmetic recalls were still lower than in any of the seven years prior to 2020, and in more than half of those years, they were significantly lower. In 2017, for example, there were 3,609 food/cosmetic recalls, nearly twice the amount in 2024.

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What was behind the food recall in 2024?

During the pig’s head recall, at least 61 people became ill and 10 died, according to the U.S. News Agency Centers for Disease Control and Preventionmaking it an even more deadly outbreak in 2024. The number of people who have fallen ill in connection with contaminated deli meat is believed to be much higher.

“Claims involving Listeria are more difficult simply because of the type of bacteria it is,” said Jayde Hanson, policy director at Food Safety Centerhe tells CNET.

As a result of the contamination, more than 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry have been recalled. Newly released Reviewed by the United States Department of Agriculture “Inadequate sanitation practices” at the Virginia facility are linked to the outbreak.

According to the audit, there were “multiple instances of non-compliance with sanitation standard operating procedures and sanitation performance standards” at the facility, including product residue left on equipment from the previous day’s use. The USDA review also cited the need for stronger government inspections and oversight. The pig boss told USA TODAY The company is now working to roll out “enhanced food safety programs throughout the company.”

While sanitation practices and problems contributed to the 2024 food recall, Hanson says there are other factors that need to be taken into account, including climate change and the location of the farms where our food is grown.

“Vegetables in particular don’t get inspected very often,” Hanson says, “and we have some huge meat production operations that are located, in my opinion, close to vegetable operations.”

“If you’re pumping water into your vegetable field running from a meat operation, you’re going to have salmonella, E. coli and other things in that water that you’re pumping onto the field,” he adds.

Another major recall is linked to Listeria Nearly 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat This was produced at a facility in Durant, Oklahoma. according to Food Safety NewsReady-to-eat meat is handled much more than raw meat within facilities, which increases the chance of contamination.

Hanson says he believes “the demand for convenience and the increased centralization of production of these foods,” is another reason for the widespread recalls.

“When every little village used to have a butcher shop that made your own liver from animals harvested there, you didn’t spread it to the whole country,” he says. “Now, if you have a few companies that produce a large amount of food, when there is a problem, it spreads throughout the country.”

Will you remember to go up in 2025?

It’s too early to know how recalls will work in the new year, and with a new presidential administration, there is additional uncertainty. One contributing factor is a pause in communications from the FDA and other government agencies, which the Trump administration requested this week, such as I mentioned From the Washington Post.

“HHS has issued a temporary pause on group communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergency or critical health-preservation situations,” Stephanie Speier, deputy chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services, told CNET in an email. “This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and mandates. There are exceptions for announcements that HHS departments believe are important, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis.”

The communications pause is set to last through February 1, NPR I mentioned. It is not clear whether the current FDA protocol for alerting the public to food recalls will change. It’s also not clear whether the new administration will change any food safety protocols.

“The FDA and the Department of Agriculture now have good tools to control (the outbreak), but the big question will be whether they have enough money to implement what needs to be done,” Hanson says.

Another factor to consider is immigration, he says.

National agricultural workers reconnaissance From 2019-2020 showed that about 44% of farmworkers in the United States are undocumented. Large-scale mass deportations could lead President Donald Trump to create labor shortages that could lead to “attempts to find more labor-saving ways to handle our crops,” Hanson said.

“A lot of it comes down to the amount of money Congress gives the FDA and the Department of Agriculture to make sure things are properly inspected,” Hanson says.

How to protect yourself from food-borne diseases

It is important to be aware of recalls when they are overt, and to take precautions when handling the responding food, such as disposing of it immediately and cleaning any surfaces it may have been in contact with.

You can also start buying from local farmers, so you can track where your food comes from. It is also important to ensure that any meat is always cooked to the recommended temperature, to kill any potential bacteria.

“If you’re cooking meat, I always pay attention to safe temperatures,” Hanson says. “A Good thermometer It will cost you about $10. Buy it and use it. Your emergency room will be over this thermometer.”