“A rotten apple spoils the bunch,” the proverb says. In food retail, this effect manifests too easily. No matter whether a food is distributed locally or nationally, one mismanagement at any point of food production can put thousands at risk, requiring retailers to halt the sales and the food firms to file a recall strategy immediately once the issue is detected.

Even with strict regulation, the burden of foodborne illness still plagues the public. Symptoms that people do not usually associate with foodborne illness might be more common than one would’ve expected: vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, and fever. Each year, one in six Americans is estimated to get sick of foodborne illness.

According to most readily available data, the weekly update by the FDA, as the food industry recovered from the pandemic and the supply chain stabilized, the US had observed a continuous rise in all food recalls since 2021. In 2024, more than 40 percent of cases derived from violative food/cosmetics among all, breaking the record with 1003 recalls in total.

A recall will remove violative products that cause adverse health consequences due to bacteria, heavy metals or unspecified labelings, etc. The top reason for recalls in food/cosmetics in 2024 has pointed to unspecified labeling issues, followed by two enduring perplexing causes, listeria and salmonella contaminations.

More than half of food recalls derived from labeling issues. Undeclared gluten ingredients, such as soy or wheat are found to be the most frequent labeling errors, while 28 percent of food recalls due to a lack of clarity of dairy ingredients such as milk and butter.

159 out of 408 cases are marked as Class I, accounting for more than one-third of the total food recalls. Among all the severe incidents, labeling issues, such as mislabeled or unclear labels remain the most bothersome.

Depending on the food level of hazard, a product will be classified into one of the three major classes. Class I involves food that leads to serious health problems and life-threatening emergencies. For example, the exposure to food allergen could result in low blood pressure, faint or even suffocation. Or, an elevated level of lead poisoning could damage the kidneys, sometimes irreversibly. On the other hand, a food with minor defects, such as broken packages, will be categorized as a Class III.

159 out of 408 cases are marked as Class I, accounting for more than one-third of the total food recalls. Among all the severe incidents, labeling issues, such as mislabeled or unclear labels remain the most bothersome.

Dairy-free, kept refrigerated, perishable, contains nuts - these labels exist for a reason. Without them clearly and visibly appearing on the packaging, one can accidentally consume allergens or intolerances he is physically sensitive about.

The burden of foodborne illness usually is overlooked because we do not associate it with symptoms that we are too familiar with: vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, and fever. Each year, one in six Americans is estimated to get sick of foodborne illness.

As labeling issues persist, with a significant number of undeclared allergens driving serious food recalls, grocery retailers disseminate warnings in stores and federal departments post press releases on food safety concerns. However, with public access to food recall datasets shrinking since the second Trump administration, tracking these recalls can be increasingly difficult. To mitigate risks and avoid aggravated symptoms post-consumption, up-to-date data is a must to further prevent people from being alerted. A delay in disseminating crucial information about food safety, if without transparency, may result in symptoms running quickly from mild to severe and from affecting a few to a thousands.