WASHINGTON (TNND) — A series of food recalls and foodborne illness investigations in recent weeks has put renewed attention on food safety in the U.S.
But while the number of alerts may feel unusually high, there is no single official number showing that food recalls have reached an unusual or record level this month.
That’s partly because one contamination event can lead to multiple recalls involving different products, companies and brands.
Jalapeño outbreak sickens 431 people
The most significant recent outbreak involves fresh jalapeños imported from Sinaloa, Mexico.
The FDA and CDC are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Javiana linked to jalapeños distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors. As of August 21, 431 people in 32 states had been infected, 57 had been hospitalized and no deaths had been reported. Illnesses began between June 19 and August 2.
The affected states are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The most significant recent outbreak involves fresh jalapeños imported from Sinaloa, Mexico. (TNND)
The investigation also illustrates why counting recalls can be misleading.
After the original jalapeño recall, additional companies began recalling products that had been made with the affected peppers. Those included prepared foods, salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo. The USDA also issued a public health alert for certain meat and poultry products containing the FDA-regulated jalapeños.
The FDA says 91% of interviewed patients reported eating at a Mexican-style restaurant before becoming sick.
Other recent recalls
The jalapeño outbreak isn’t the only food safety investigation making headlines.
On August 3, Boticelli Foods recalled one lot of Bettergoods Pistachio Nut Butter sold through Walmart because of potential Salmonella contamination. The recall followed testing by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that detected Salmonella in three jars during a routine inspection. No illnesses had been reported in connection with the product at the time of the recall.
The FDA says the blueberry outbreak has resulted in 12 illnesses and four hospitalizations in Florida and Georgia, with no deaths reported. (TNND)
Frozen berries have also been the subject of an E. coli investigation.
Publix recalled all lots of GreenWise Organic Frozen Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries because they could be contaminated with “E. coli O145:H28.” The products were distributed to Publix stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The FDA says the blueberry outbreak has resulted in 12 illnesses and four hospitalizations in Florida and Georgia, with no deaths reported.
There is also an ongoing investigation involving alfalfa sprouts. The FDA says 55 people in 15 states have been sickened by illnesses involving Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella, with four hospitalizations.
Why are there so many different agencies?
Part of what can make food recalls confusing is that the U.S. does not have one agency responsible for every aspect of food safety.
The CDC works with state and local health departments, the FDA, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and industry partners during multistate foodborne outbreak investigations.
The CDC’s role includes detecting outbreaks, analyzing illness data and helping identify what food may be making people sick. State and local agencies collect information from patients, test food and help trace contaminated products. FDA and USDA-FSIS can conduct traceback investigations, inspect facilities and request recalls.
That means a single contamination problem can move through a complicated supply chain — potentially resulting in several recalls involving different companies and products.
So, is food safety getting worse?
There’s clearly a cluster of active foodborne illness investigations and recalls right now. But the available data do not establish that the U.S. is experiencing a record or statistically unusual spike in food recalls.
And simply counting recall notices can exaggerate the number of separate contamination events because multiple recalls can stem from the same underlying problem.
The jalapeño outbreak is a good example: one contaminated ingredient has resulted in a growing number of recalls across the food supply chain while hundreds of people have become sick.
The FDA says its investigation remains ongoing and additional products could be added to the recall list.
Dining and Cooking