Here’s why there’s been an uptick in food recalls in Wisconsin

If you feel like you’re seeing food recalls in the headlines more than normal, you’re not imagining it. After a pandemic lull, the number of recalls across the country have been surging back to pre-2020 levels.
Food recalls jumped nationwide last year by more than a third over the year prior, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 50 million Americans become sick every year from contaminated food or beverages. Of those, 128,000 end up in the hospital and 3,000 die each year across the country.
Now, just last month, millions of pounds of meat were pulled off grocery store shelves nationwide, including in Wisconsin, over listeria concerns. Dozens more are sick after a salmonella outbreak was linked to eggs from a Wisconsin farm. Other stores are recalling everything from frozen waffles to onions after reports of illness.
Food recalls are reaching pre-pandemic levels again, but so far, there isn’t evidence to suggest we’re seeing a “huge uptick” this year, according to Adam Brock, division administrator of food and recreational safety for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
“In the 2020 and 2021 timeframe, maybe early 2022, you saw a dip simply because there weren’t as many inspections. We were staying away from the [food] plants,” Brock said.
According to the USDA — which specifically regulates meat, poultry, and some fish and egg products — the number of recalls for these products dropped from 124 recalls nationwide in 2019 to just 31 in 2020.
In 2021 and 2022, the U.S. saw 47 and 45 meat recalls, respectively. Last year, however, the number jumped back up to 65 recalls or four million pounds of meat. And this year, the Boar’s Head and BrucePac recalls alone have pulled more than 17 millions pounds of meat off shelves over listeria concerns.
When it comes to the recent meat recalls, Brock said issues with a single product at a large food processing facility can often expand to millions of pounds of product.
“A lot of these facilities are producing multiple products on multiple product lines,” he said. “If there’s contamination of one product, it can impact another product.”
The above map shows the number of deaths recorded as of Nov. 15 connected to various listeria outbreaks in the United States. So far, no deaths have been connected to such outbreaks in Wisconsin.
Top five causes of food-borne related hospitalizations include: Salmonella, Norovirus, Campylobacter, Toxoplasma gondii and E. coli 0157.
Additionally, the top five causes of food-borne related deaths in the U.S. include: Salmonella, Toxoplasma gondii, Listeria, Norovirus and Campylobacter.
Consumers should observe good food safety practices in order to protect themselves against food-borne illness. Health experts recommend getting a refrigerator thermometer and making sure the temperature is 40 degrees or lower. “The colder the temperature, the longer the food will last safely,” wrote Kathleen Glass, associate director of the Food Research Institute at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
To ensure food is cooked properly, use a meat thermometer and cook to the proper temperature. Even if the raw meat was contaminated, proper cooking will help reduce the risk of illness.
“I don’t eat rare hamburgers or ‘Cannibal sandwiches’ anymore. I know that is sacrilegious to hear from a Wisconsinite, but the consequences with E. coli 0157:H7 are too high for me to take the chance,” wrote Glass.
While cooking, avoid cross contamination by washing hands and surfaces frequently, especially after contact with raw meats and produce. To store foods, chill cooked foods to 40 degrees in two hours.
Those who are immunocompromised, older than 65 years-old or pregnant should avoid high risk foods, such as meats sliced in a deli, soft cheese, raw sprouts, cut melon and raw milk.
Additionally, health experts recommend checking labels on pre-packaged foods “Personally, if I have the choice for a deli meat that has an ingredient such as vinegar, cultured sugar, potassium lactate, sodium diacetate and sodium nitrite, vs. preservative free, I will choose the preservative route all the time,” wrote Glass.
President-elect Donald Trump has selected vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be in charge of the country’s public health agencies if confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. “He wants to do some things and we’re going to let him go to it,” Trump said in his Election Day victory speech. “Go have a good time, Bobby.”
Kennedy has previously spread unfounded claims about a link between childhood vaccines and autism, proposed the removal of fluoride from drinking water, and advocated for reducing certain chemical preservatives in foods.
When it comes to preservatives, which are used to prevent the decomposition of a food and minimize foodborne illness sick, Brock, the Wisconsin DATCP administrator, said any policy reform would require careful consideration. In some cases, food products are treated with a litany of chemical preservatives that can likely be reduced. But in other cases, he said, the preservatives can be natural ingredients, such as salt, and are key to upholding the shelf life and taste of a product.
“I don’t disagree that there are improvements that could be made, but it’s not as simple as saying we’re going to take out all colors and preservatives because then you have product that you can’t ship anywhere,” Brock said. “Product would spoil before it got there.”
You can find an updated list of ongoing food recalls in Wisconsin, visit the Wisconsin Health Department website to see ongoing outbreaks, recalls and investigations in the state.
For a list of national food recalls, you can visit the FDA’s website here.
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