ExpertRECALL has released its quarterly index about food and product recalls in this country. They found that 73.4% of food recalls documented by the FDA were from companies who already had two or more recalls. One hundred thirty-three companies had recalls in this time period, affecting 9.7 million units of products. Many times, the multiple recalls occur because of an ingredient that is used in more than one product.
Mike Rozembaigier, Vice President of Stericycle ExpertRECALL said, “the ongoing trend of multiple product recalls can complicate the logistics of a recall, making it harder for companies to communicate to consumers and maintain trust in their brand.”
The Index includes data from the USDA for the first time. That agency issues recalls of meat, poultry, and egg products. Extraneous material was the single largest cause of USDA recalls; more than half of those were recalls for traces of plastic found in products. Undeclared allergens were the second most frequent cause of USDA recalls.
ExpertRECALL says that this Index “highlights the need for companies, especially food manufacturers, to pay close attention to safety standards in their supply chain.” Pathogenic bacteria Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria were the causes of nine recalls in this quarter. That’s an increase from five recalls last quarter. But there is good news in the report. There was a 43% decline in FDA recalls over the previous quarter, returning to the average of the previous four quarters.
It seems as if it is getting scarier and scarier to sit down to a meal. Is this the one that will kill me? With all the problems the United States getting safe food to our tables now they want to fund inspections for horse slaughterhouses for meat that is not and will not be consumed in this country. This will cost taxpayers millions of dollars at a time when the USDA budget has been slashed like most gov’t agencies. We need our inspection budge to be spend keeping American food that we do eat safe for Americans. The horsemeat showing up in all sorts of meats and frozen meals in the EU showed us how easily horse meat that is tainted with USDA banned drugs can find its way into the food chain.