Food Safety Crisis Prompts Widespread Recalls across U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued 13 high-risk food recalls this year due to hazardous contamination, which has led to multiple fatalities and hospitalizations across the nation.

One of the most significant recalls involved BrucePac, a producer of pre-cooked meat and poultry products.

According to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, BrucePac recalled approximately 5.3 million kilograms of ready-to-eat food data-x-items on Oct. 9 due to potential listeria contamination.

The recall affected products sold at major retailers, including 7-Eleven, Albertsons, Kroger, Aldi, Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Costco.

In a preliminary report on Thursday, USDA found the recalled products were sent to 57 schools across ten states, with more schools being added as the investigation continues.

The BrucePac's recall was initiated after routine testing by the Food Safety and Inspection Service revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in some products.

The recalled data-x-items included premade salads, burritos, and chicken wraps manufactured between June 19 and Oct. 8, 2024. Although no serious illnesses have been reported concerning these products so far, the USDA advised consumers to discard or return any recalled items.

Another major outbreak linked to deli meats had more severe consequences.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a listeria outbreak associated with Boar's Head products resulted in 59 hospitalizations and ten deaths across 18 states. The outbreak began in July and led to the recall of over 3.2 million kilograms of deli meats.

Two years ago, USDA food inspectors warned of "major deficiencies" at the Boar's Head facility in Virginia that could pose an "imminent threat" to food safety, according to recent USDA inspection reports.

In the year before the plant's suspension in July, inspectors reported one or more "noncompliances" with federal regulations on 57 separate days. These violations included "dirty" machinery, flies in pickle containers, "heavy meat buildup" on walls, and puddles of blood on the floor.

Yet, none of these warnings and inspections stopped the production at the Boar's Head plant until the recent outbreak that caused deaths and hospitalization.

"This is the largest listeriosis outbreak since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe," the CDC stated in a press release.

The agency urged people at higher risk for listeria infection, such as pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems, to avoid eating meats sliced at deli counters unless heated to an internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius or until steaming hot just before serving.

The egg industry has also been affected by safety concerns. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) upgraded a previous egg recall alert to warn consumers of severe reactions and possibly death if consumed.

Initially announced by the CDC on Sept. 6, the recall was linked to eggs supplied by Milo's Poultry Farms, LLC. According to the CDC, 65 people in nine states were infected with salmonella, resulting in 24 hospitalizations.

The food safety crisis has not been limited to animal products. In early October, the FDA issued an urgent recall for all Diamond Shruumz-brand products, including Microdosing Chocolate Bars, Infused Cones, and Gummies.

The recall was prompted by severe health issues linked to the consumption of these items, with 175 reported illnesses, including 70 hospitalizations and three potential deaths across 33 states, according to the FDA.

The increasing frequency and severity of food recalls raised questions about the effectiveness of the current food safety system in the United States.

Darin Detwiler, an associate teaching professor at Northeastern University and a former FDA and USDA food safety adviser, pointed to the rapid pace of change in manufacturing as a major contributing factor.

"The speed at which consumer behavior changes, retail changes, food production changes, technologies associated with food changes -- is so much faster than when policy change happens," Detwiler told the non-profit organization AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons).

The complexity of modern food production chains also made it more challenging to identify and isolate contamination sources.

"There was a huge salmonella outbreak with peanuts about 10 years ago, and over 3,900 different types of products had to be recalled because there were peanuts, like peanut dust, peanut powder, kinds of flour ... People had no idea that it was being recalled because they didn't realize peanuts were in it. So it just becomes much more complicated," Detwiler said.

Faced with growing food safety concerns, consumer advocacy groups are calling for stricter regulations and more frequent inspections. In an interview with AARP, Mitzi Baum, chief executive officer of Stop Foodborne Illness, a nonprofit group, said food producers should be held accountable.

"Feeding the public at large carries the heavy burden of responsibility to take every measure to ensure the safety of every food product produced. When these basic practices are skipped or skimped, it's the consumers that pay the ultimate price with their lives," she noted.

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