Last month in California, consumers were inundated with 11 food recall notices. These included raw milk from Fresno infected with H5N1 bird flu, organic carrots from City of Commerce contaminated with E. coli, and cucumbers from Arizona containing salmonella. This brought the total number of recalled foods between September and November to 26. Is this a normal occurrence?

Unraveling the Complexities of Food Recalls in California

Testing and Investigation Changes

Experts find it difficult to define a normal amount of recall notices and detected foodborne illnesses. Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University, explains that "Baby carrots [for example] could have been contaminated before but it could have gone undetected." In recent years, more investment has been made in testing, investigation, identification, and tracking systems for food safety, but it's still far from perfect. As Sara Bratager, Senior Food Safety Specialist for the Institute of Food Technologies, says, "As we get better at identifying, monitoring and tracking [contaminated foods] we will naturally see an increase in recalls because we're just getting better at figuring stuff out."

Food Recall Trends in the US

Trace One, a product management software company, studied the number of food recalls in the US between 2020 and 2024 and found that the number grew from 454 to 547 per year. The leading causes of food recalls are bacteria, foreign objects, and allergens triggered when products are exposed to wheat, dairy, and nuts, often due to cross-contamination. California has the highest percentage of recall notices in the US with 39.8%, followed by New York with 36.4%. This is because California is the nation's largest producer of food. Experts say the overall number of recalled food products has grown across the country as the food chain has become more complex.

Recall Notices and Their Implications

A recall means the production of a specific food is halted (sometimes voluntarily by the producer), the item is taken off the shelves, and consumers are warned against eating or drinking the product. Foods can be recalled due to various reasons such as contamination with bacteria, viruses, or parasites, the presence of foreign objects, or a failure to list major allergens. Recall notices have both negative and positive associations. Bratager says it's bad because it means the preventive measures failed, but it's also good as it shows the process of investigation and tracking is working.

Impact of Smaller Recall Sizes

On Nov. 18, the Los Angeles County Public Health Department alerted consumers of two local cases of E. coli associated with a multistate outbreak linked to whole bagged and baby carrots. It's becoming more common to see recall notices affecting a smaller number of people. Bratager says no recall is a positive event, but a smaller number of affected people reflects more precise monitoring and detection efforts. "Oftentimes the reason a recall is really big is because we find an issue and we can't necessarily pin down when that issue happened and get to the root cause of it," she says.

Consumer Protection Measures

Before handling and cooking any food, wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds. Ensure utensils and surface areas are sanitary. When it comes to produce, wash it before preparing and eating. Soap isn't necessary; friction under running water and using a paper towel to dry is more important. Keep raw meat and poultry away from other foods to minimize cross-contamination. Cook foods to proper temperatures using a cooking thermometer. For a complete list of safe minimum internal temperatures, visit the online USDA list. Be proactive in restaurants too; if you see an unhygienic staff member or improper cooking, speak up.

Consumer's Role in Recalls

If you get sick and suspect a foodborne illness, consult your healthcare provider first and then report it. You can report issues with dairy products, produce, nuts, spices, and bottled water online via the FDA's Safety Reporting Portal or by calling (888) 723-3366 Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time (the phone line is closed Thursdays and federal holidays). Reports of issues with seafood should be emailed to seafood.illness@fda.hhs.gov with relevant information. Problems with meat and poultry should be reported to the USDA by calling (833) 674-6854 or by email to the meat and poultry hotline MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.