Each year, hundreds of food and beverage products are recalled because of safety concerns. While the exact number of products that will be recalled in any given year will depend upon a number of underlying factors, what is certain is that recalls do and will continue to occur. When it comes to food products and recalls, the question is not “if” it will occur, but “when” it will occur.

Overall, 2022 was a good year. So far, there have been a total of 444 recalls of FDA and USDA regulated products. This is contrasted to a total of 820 in 2016. Of the total recalls in 2022, 437 involved human food and only seven involved pet food. These are really impressive numbers for the pet food industry, and suggest that the overall quality and safety of pet foods is continuing to improve.

On the human side, the leading cause of recalls this year was undeclared allergens. Of the 222 recalls for undeclared allergens in 2022, milk, wheat/gluten, and tree nuts took the lead, with 48, 44, and 39 recalls, respectively. The third leading cause of recalls in 2022 was foreign materials. The types of undesirable foreign materials found in food products this year included metal, plastic, insects, fabric, and a bird.

With the exception of 2020, which witnessed a notoriously low number of recalls because of the shifts in focus caused by COVID-19, in 2022 we had the fewest number of recalls since 2011, when there were 313. This demonstrates good overall progress during the last decade for the food industry as a whole.

Interestingly, of the recalls in 2011, a total of 102 involved USDA-regulated products. This year, only 41 USDA-regulated products were recalled. In 2011, pathogens accounted for a total of 163 of the USDA-supervised recalls, while in 2022 there were only seven. This further demonstrates the incredible food safety progress that the meat and poultry industry has made and continues to make.

Moving forward, we will continue to closely monitor the causes of recalls. As an industry, we have made enormous progress, but there is still much to be done. While there are many factors which suggest that the numbers of recalls over time could possibly increase (i.e., the addition of sesame as a Big-8 allergen), with hard work, more focus, and the resistance of complacency, perhaps, industry can continue to drive the numbers of recalls down.

Thank you for all your hard work and, as we near closer toward 2023, I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.

The major drivers of food recalls

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