An in-depth analysis in the United States, covering 2002 to 2023, reveals that biological contamination and allergens are the leading causes of food recalls. The study, recently published in the Journal of Food Protection, examined more than 35,000 food and beverage recalls overseen by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration and shows a clear trend in the types of food safety issues that pose the most risk to consumers. The lead author on the study was John DeBeer. The study breaks down food recalls into two main categories: product contaminants and processing issues.
Product contaminants, which include biological contaminants, allergens, chemical contaminants, and foreign objects, accounted for 91 percent of all recalls. The remaining nine percent were caused by processing issues such as manufacturing errors, mislabeling, or improper refrigeration. The study underscores that biological contamination, particularly from Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, was responsible for a significant portion of these recalls, with Listeria alone accounting for 22 percent of all recalls and Salmonella making up 18 percent.
Together, these two pathogens were responsible for 40 percent of the total food recalls analyzed. Listeria and Salmonella Listeria, a bacterium commonly found in raw or undercooked foods, has been a recurring culprit in foodborne outbreaks. According to the study, Listeria monocytogenes was responsible for 7,844 recalls during the study period, which constitutes almost .
