Happy New Year to all our Meatingplace colleagues! I can’t believe it is already 2024. Now, I suppose we’ll all need to practice — for the next few weeks — writing the correct year on checks and documents. And, ideally, enjoying what will be another banner year for food safety.

Speaking of which, as many of you know, years ago we created a database (www.foodrecallreporter.com) which houses the details of every Class I, Class II, and Class III food, beverage, and dietary supplement recall since the year 2000. I remain incredibly humbled by, and proud of, the incredible work my wife and colleague Jessica have done in creating and maintaining the dataset, which is completely free for all users. And, one of my most favorite times of each year is when I get to use the dataset here on Meatingplace to provide a recap of the previous year’s food and beverage recalls.

So, let’s dive into the data. In 2023, there were a total of 509 recalls of human and animal food, which is very close to the total of 499 in 2022. Of the total in 2023, there were 482 recalls of human food. A total of 294 recalls were announced because of the presence of the Big 9 undeclared allergens. Milk took the lead having been responsible for 61 recalls, followed by Soy (responsible for 56), and tree nuts (responsible for 44). Interestingly, undeclared sesame was responsible for a total of 27 recalls in 2023.

The suspected (or actual) presence of pathogens were the second leading cause of recalls in 2023. There were a total of 91 recalls for pathogens last year. Listeria took the lead, having been responsible for 41 recalls of food products, followed by Salmonella (responsible for 30), and then Hepatitis A (responsible for 7). If we look at USDA-regulated products only, it is safe to say that the meat industry had a good year. There were only 13 recalls for undeclared allergens, and only 9 recalls for the presence of harmful pathogens. Indeed, there was only one recall for the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef in 2023.

As is typical, the presence of foreign materials was the third leading cause of recalls last year. There were a total of 55 recalls for foreign materials, with plastic, metal, and glass taking the lead. Fortunately, there were no recalls for the presence of finger tips in food products in 2023.

So, overall, 2023 was a good year for food safety. As we press into 2024, expect more FSIS Food Safety Assessments (with swab-a-thons), more FDA inspections (with swab-a-thons), more state inspections (with swab-a-thons), and more scrutiny of legacy facilities and equipment. With that said, hopefully, we can have another great year, and see the total numbers of food product recalls drop to record lows in 2024.

As you embark into the new year, please know that we wish you the best of luck. Keep up the great work, and please know that all of us at Food Industry Counsel are wishing you a Happy New Year!!

Recalling 2023's recalls — year in review

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