Food recalls have recently hit major brands, from Boar’s Head to McDonald’s, but experts say don’t panic ‒ at least not yet.
While some food recalls don’t get much publicity, several recent high-profile outbreaks involving organic carrots, slivered onions and liverwurst have raised concern about U.S. food safety. However, data from the Food and Drug Administration shows no major uptick in food recalls, most of which are voluntarily issued by companies.
Even so, foodborne illnesses like E. coli and listeria have sickened hundreds of Americans this year and some have died. And experts say trying to spot patterns in food safety is a tricky business. Here’s why.
More food recalls might not be all bad
While the idea of a rise in food recalls sounds ominous, it could simply mean that health officials and food producers are better at identifying outbreaks quickly.
New tools, like whole genome sequencing, allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alongside local officials, to genetically link outbreaks more rapidly to the microorganism causing people to get sick, said Don Schaffner, chair of the department of food science at Rutgers University.
Public health officials can then quickly interview people about what they ate weeks ago to track down the exact source of the outbreak.
More outbreaks of foodborne illness occur than get publicized, according to Craig Hedberg, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. When they happen, improvements in surveillance and public health laboratories quickly trace them back. This appears to be the case with recent outbreaks.
“As these outbreaks were identified and investigated, it was clear that there were steps that people in the public could take,” he said. “When that happens, there’s a strong public interest in communicating to the public what they need to do to protect themselves.”
Foodborne illness isn’t consistent
Just like other outbreaks, there’s an element of randomness to how foodborne illness spreads.
“You’ve had three prominent outbreaks in fairly short order ‒ one next to the other ‒ but that could just simply be the randomness of it,” said Schaffner, a food microbiologist, told USA TODAY.
Meanwhile, what and how people eat keeps evolving, which presents different opportunities for foodborne illness to spread and new challenges for those trying to stop it.
More people are spending on food prepared outside of the house, such as at restaurants or food ready to eat. Darin Detwiler, a food safety expert and professor at Northeastern University, said that means there are more gaps in food safety with more ingredients in products people consume. Food is coming from further away, traveling larger distances, and having more processing steps, in turn.
“Even the biggest of companies are having problems that they cannot control,” Detwiler said. “Some of these cases are not problems that happened overnight.”
Multiple agencies responsible for food safety
To keep food safe, the U.S. relies on a patchwork system to regulate food.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Services handles meat and poultry, while the FDA is responsible for nearly everything else, including recalls. In the event of outbreaks, the CDC works with local health departments to investigate outbreaks.
Meanwhile, food producers themselves are expected to self-police, experts told USA TODAY.
And what happens if a foodborne illness slips through the cracks? That’s where the civil justice system comes in, said Timothy Lytton, regents professor at Georgia State College of Law. People who get sick file lawsuits with liability placed on retailers, wholesalers and restaurants for products, raising scrutiny even more.
Companies obtain insurance to pay for this, and insurers don’t want to pay damages, Lytton said. These insurance companies often help provide coaching, assistance and incentives to reduce risk of illness in food products.
How to protect yourself from foodborne illness
There are steps people can take at home to reduce risk of foodborne illness. To start, follow information on recalls and check pantries and refrigerators.
Simple steps begin with washing your hands with soap and water.
Rinsing fresh produce and removing areas where bacteria can grow easier — such as in crevices of carrots or wilted, broken lettuce leaves — can also protect people. This includes in bags that say they’re triple-washed. Additionally, people should make sure not to cross-contaminate with cutting boards or utensils; if they’re using a cutting board to cut raw meat, they should not use the same board and knife to chop fruits or vegetables.
With leftovers, make sure to refrigerate properly and don’t let items sit out.
