According to the latest recall data published by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), from 2019–2023, undeclared allergens were the leading cause of food recalls in Australia. FSANZ has identified the root causes for these recalls.

A total of 313 food product recall announcements were issued in 2023 by FDA and USDA, which the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) Education Fund analyzed in its Food for Thought 2024 report to identify recall trends. 

After hundreds of children across the U.S. contracted lead poisoning after eating fruit puree pouches containing contaminated cinnamon, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified six additional ground cinnamon products that were found to contain elevated levels of lead. The agency has issued a recall.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has published data on recalls and public health advisories issued in the case of a food safety incident in 2023.

Using whole genome sequencing (WGS), U.S. federal and state public health officials recently solved a multistate foodborne illness outbreak investigation that has been ongoing since 2014, with the most recent illnesses being reported in December 2023.

Yuka, a mobile app that provides users with information about product labels, now alerts users of active product recalls issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A recent revision to Directive 8080.1 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) now includes egg products a commodity subject to recall under the Directive, outlining instructions for large-scale recalls and recalls of ingredients regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

With regard to the recently recalled, lead-contaminated applesauce packages that have caused lead poisoning among dozens of children, Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recently shared that the agency’s leading theory is economically motivated adulteration of cinnamon used in the products.

As of November 24, 2023, a fatal foodborne outbreak of salmonellosis linked to cantaloupes has caused 99 illnesses across 32 states in the U.S., and 63 illnesses across five provinces in Canada. A total of three patients have died. A recall has been issued.

As of November 16, 2023, there are 34 known cases of acute lead toxicity linked to recalled fruit puree pouches in the U.S. FDA has alluded to an unconfirmed theory that the common source of contamination may be an imported ingredient used in the products.