ConsumerAffairs reported that food recalls due to bacterial contamination reached their highest levels in 2024, since 2019, driven by a surge of recalls from Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella. There have been 154 recalls due to contamination from the "big three" pathogens (E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella), up from 87 recalls in 2023 and the highest number since 165 recalls in 2019 (according to data provided by the law firm Food Industry Council). What has increased the number of bacterial food recalls recently is a combination of increased pathogen detection, an inability to prevent bacteria in food manufacturing, and regulators overreacting to food companies combating contamination, Shawn Stevens, attorney at Food Industry Counsel, told ConsumerAffairs. Yechezkel Kashi, a biotechnology professor at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, told ConsumerAffairs, "We also find that recalls increase as contamination detection methods improve and manufacturers implement more frequent product testing." @ https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/bacteria-food-recalls-reach-five-year-high-in-2024-123024.html#author-information
