— OPINION —
By Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall InfoLink
The goal of food safety is safe food, as the adage goes, “If it isn’t safe, it isn’t food.” Recalls play a huge role in that effort. While consumers often view recalls as a negative, in reality, recalls can be pivotal to protect public safety. Recalls themselves shouldn’t be a source of fear for consumers — rather, they should fear the harm that may result from a failed corrective action.
It’s a common perception for consumers to associate recalls with massive foodborne illness outbreaks, since that’s what dominates media headlines. There were hundreds of food recalls in 2024, and a recent study found that most severe foodborne illnesses (98 percent) and related deaths last year stemmed from just 13 pathogen-related food safety outbreaks – including deli meat and cucumbers – which were widely recalled. That means that most recalls weren’t associated with widespread illnesses or in national news headlines.
In reality, many recalls happen quietly, sometimes even before products reach store shelves. While not every recall involves a widespread crisis, each one plays a critical role in protecting people from potentially harmful food and reducing risk across the system. An effective food safety system certainly looks to prevent recalls, but it also makes sure that when needed, recalls are fast and efficient so that public health is protected.
Food businesses leverage technology to prioritize public health
Food businesses work continuously to protect public health. Although they work hard to avoid recalls, their bigger responsibility is to prevent harm. When a product doesn’t meet the food safety and quality control standards, it’s recalled. That could mean recalling a product because of the possibility of a foreign object dropping into a batch of food. This wouldn’t result in a foodborne illness outbreak – as many people perceive to be associated with recalls – but could potentially cause harm if accidentally ingested.
It’s also important for consumers to understand the steps food businesses take — and the sophisticated equipment they use — to maximize food safety and reduce harm. As tech aimed at recall prevention has become increasingly accessible, more food businesses are relying on tech solutions to significantly reduce the number and impact of recalls. Although tech is enabling higher standards in food safety, ongoing challenges continue to create recalls including human error, supply chain complexity, regulatory environment, etc. Instead of trying to eliminate recalls, the focus of food safety is to effectively protect public health by having effective preventative and corrective measures in place.
The parallels of fire safety and food safety
Think about fire safety. While it would be ideal to eliminate house fires completely, that isn’t a realistic goal. We can, however, work proactively to prevent as many fires as possible and fight them properly when they occur. This is why we have fire stations staffed with trained firefighters. It’s also why we use fire resistant materials, install smoke detectors to alert us to possible danger, and keep fire extinguishers handy. Prevention and response work hand in hand.
Food safety works the same way. By implementing steps that focus on avoiding recalls and steps that ensure fast, effective recalls when needed, we are able to prevent many problems and respond quickly when issues arise. Thanks to tech tools like AI-enabled risk detection, IoT sensors for environment monitoring, and blockchain-based traceability, it’s easier than ever for food businesses to catch issues before they become widespread recalls. And just like we rely on both smoke alarms and firefighters when needed, food companies must also have a recall strategy that’s tested, practiced, and ready to deploy.
Consumers are an essential part of the goal
Consumers can do their part as well:
Understand that recalls are meant to keep you safe. They’re a critical way that the food industry gets potentially harmful products out of supply. If an item you bought or consumed was recalled, follow the instructions issued by the brand, FDA, USDA, or the retailer where you purchased the product. Usually, consumers are told to throw out the recalled items or take them to point-of-purchase for a refund.
Practice proactive food safety. Follow proper food safety procedures every day to elevate safety and minimize risks. If products were recalled because they were contaminated with harmful pathogens like E.coli, Salmonella, or Listeria, recognize that you can’t “wash it away” or try to kill the pathogens by cooking the foods. Follow instructions to properly dispose of these items, and don’t consume them or give them away or feed them to pets.
Embrace tech, which plays a vital role in identifying risks. Today’s tech solutions enable fast action and streamline communication. Consumers can leverage technologies that improve the ways they receive information from food brands by signing up for loyalty programs and using QR/2D codes to access direct information about a recalled product.
Play a key role for change. Consumers often say they feel frustrated by — and powerless over — the frequency of food recalls. But pressure from consumers can be a very powerful way to drive positive change within the food industry. Join advocacy groups and push for the industry to continuously prioritize food safety. Speak up when you see something is wrong, such as moldy or discolored foods, damaged packaging, recalled products that have not been pulled from store shelves. Put pressure on brands to improve.
Thanks to better tools, smarter systems, and a constant commitment to food safety, both businesses and consumers have more power than ever to reduce risk and respond quickly when something goes wrong.
For food companies, that means combining proven safety practices with modern technology, and being prepared with a clear, practiced recall plan (that includes trading partners) when prevention falls short. For consumers, it means understanding that recalls are part of a system designed to catch problems before they cause greater harm, taking simple steps like signing up for alerts, following recall instructions, and practicing safe food handling at home to help reduce the impact of food safety incidents. Together, we can have a system of prevention and correction that truly protects public health.
About the author: Roger Hancock is CEO of Recall InfoLink, and one of the world’s foremost experts on recalls, with experience that spans the retail, tech, data, regulatory, and supply chain.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here)