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It has been a very busy year for food recalls in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced several recalls over the past few months for everything from ice cream and waffles to fresh produce and even millions of pounds of deli meat.
And they all had one thing in common, they were triggered due to fears of potential contamination of listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes deadly infections.
The most fatal of the outbreaks so far — with 10 deaths — has been linked to a Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia. More recently, BrucePac, an Oklahoma-based producer of precooked meat, recalled this month nearly 10 million pounds of products sold in the nation’s top grocery chains, including Walmart (WMT-0.97%), Kroger (KR-0.20%), 7-Eleven (SVNDY+0.10%), and Trader Joe’s
The apparent rise in listeria-related recalls is concerning. Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious listeriosis infections in young children, elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems. The FDA also warns that listeria infections could cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. Even among healthy people, a listeria infection can lead to symptoms including high fever, headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
An estimated 1,600 people in the U.S. get listeriosis ever year, with about 260 annual fatalities, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So, why are listeria contaminations seemingly on the rise?
“What we’re seeing is likely a perfect storm of factors: regulatory transitions, pandemic-related inspection gaps, increased detection capabilities, and economic pressures. Together, these elements have led to a surge in recalls.” Dr. Darin Detwiler, a food safety advisor and professor at Northeastern University, told Quartz in an email. “While it’s unclear if one particular issue is driving the trend, the combination suggests that there are vulnerabilities within the food regulatory system that need to be addressed to restore consumer confidence.”
Better and more accurate detection
One reason recalls seem to be on the rise is improvements in testing technology. For example, Detwiler said that the widespread use of whole genome sequencing, a process for analyzing an organism’s DNA, is making it easier to detect pathogens like Listeria.
“These advanced methods can trace contamination more effectively, leading to quicker recalls,” said Detwiler. “This may create the perception that recalls are becoming more frequent, when in reality, we are simply identifying contamination more efficiently than before.”
A rise in demand of ready-to-eat food products
However, it’s not just better testing that is leading to all these recalls. The recalls could also reflect a shift in consumer preferences and production methods.
Detwiler pointed out that consumers are generally relying more on ready-to-eat food products such as deli meats, cheese, salads, and precooked meat. These products often are stored in refrigerators or freezers.
Unfortunately, Listeria, unlike other pathogens, can thrive in cold environments.
“Most of these products often have a long shelf life, which provides Listeria with more time to grow even if initial contamination levels are low,” Detwiler said.
Additionally, the global food supply chain’s complexity, with ingredients being sourced from various places around the world, makes it harder to trace the source of a contamination. It also adds more steps to a product’s production, increasing the risk of cross-contamination.
Gaps in inspections
Finally, another possible contributing factor in what looks like an increase in listeria-related food recalls could be a combo of a recent FDA restructuring and a reduction of in-person inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FDA announced last year plans for reorganization. This month, the regulatory agency announced the establishment of a new Human Food Program — a new model and name for its field operations. The administration said it is its single largest reorganization in the agency’s recent history, affecting over 8,000 employees.
Detwiler said these transitional phases “can often create temporary gaps in oversight or slower response times to emerging food safety risks.”
At the same time, the reduction of in-person the suspension and reduction of in-person inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic could have potentially led to “lapses in sanitation and food safety compliance.”
For example, Boar’s Head in September closed “indefinitely” its Virginia deli plant, which has been linked to a fatal listeria outbreak. The closure came after federal inspectors reportedly found dozens of violations at the facility including mold, pooling water, and the presence of insects near food.
Even prior to the pandemic, the USDA finalized a new rule that allowed pork slaughterhouses to hire their own inspectors.