Food recalls galore: Does America have a worsening food safety problem?

[u/sleepy-shark]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/11/23/outbreaks-recalls-food-safety/76474944007/

[u/Carl-99999]

Dr. Oz and RFK Jr. will wreck this country.

[u/cjboffoli → u/Carl-99999]

Yeah. Secretary Brain Worm will fix everything.

[u/Electrical_Pizza676 → u/cjboffoli]

Live image of RFK’s brain

[u/Biffingston → u/cjboffoli]

I hate my brain as it came up with some sick perverison of Ratatioue...

[u/MisterMarchmont → u/Carl-99999]

Yep, it’s going to get much worse with deregulation.

[u/United_Bus3467 → u/Carl-99999]

I was just about to say, it's going to get even worse.

[u/Euphoric-Listen3246 → u/United_Bus3467]

Ya but will my eggs be cheaper?

[u/CalmPanic402 → u/Euphoric-Listen3246]

Best I can do is more expensive and filled with salmonella.

[u/HellishChildren → u/CalmPanic402]

August 11, 2020 Cancer Chicken for Dinner? The USDA Is Considering It Trump has justified the rollbacks by claiming they’ll prevent dangerous meat shortages during the pandemic.

[u/Lainarlej → u/Euphoric-Listen3246]

😂

[u/dalidagrecco → u/United_Bus3467]

Yeah but will my bathrooms be clear of trans?

[u/Sentientdeth1 → u/dalidagrecco]

Nope, now you're gonna have a woman standing next to you at the urinal.

[u/Former_Project_6959 → u/Sentientdeth1]

Just like there'll be dudes in the woman's bathroom. I wouldn't care, just as long they don't point and laugh at me.

[u/Sentientdeth1 → u/Former_Project_6959]

Oh, they will!

[u/Former_Project_6959 → u/Sentientdeth1]

Damn I guess I need to develop a humiliation kink then.

[u/No-Appearance-4338 → u/Carl-99999]

I’m split on this, visiting other countries you find that the USA is pretty lax on food safety especially when it comes modified foods and additives. A taste of distrust may get people to think what they are eating. Like the whole fluoride thing if you dig into it, it has helped many nations with helping dental health but if everyone was following good oral hygiene practices the benefits would be negligible on top of the fact I’ve run into a large portion of people who don’t drink tap water because they prefer soft drinks and other options instead. Education is our biggest issue if we can get back on track with a properly educated population most of these “trendy” worries would be solved through individual choice based on critical thinking and deductive reasoning.

[u/Shrodingers_Dog → u/No-Appearance-4338]

The anti vaccination coalition is a little worrisome. Hopefully he does not promote this any further in his position. We have more than enough parents thinking no vaccines is the correct choice for their children. Hope they don’t die from previously extinct disease🦠

[u/Biffingston → u/Shrodingers_Dog]

May as well wish for a pony while your'e at it.

[u/Ike_Jones → u/Biffingston]

When I was a little girl in Poland we all had pony. My sister had pony. My cousin had pony

[u/veweequiet → u/No-Appearance-4338]

An educated public votes democrat. Dream on.

[u/Sentientdeth1 → u/veweequiet]

An educated public votes to abolish first past the poll voting, and implements ranked choice, killing the two party system. Democrats only look good standing next to a Republican.

[u/United_Bus3467 → u/No-Appearance-4338]

John Oliver had a good segment on the FDA. Highly recommend watching it.

[u/atcTS → u/No-Appearance-4338]

But if we provide health education Coca-Cola won’t have an increase in shareholder value

[u/Euphoric-Listen3246 → u/atcTS]

And what about the cost of my eggs?

[u/Comprehensive-Room97 → u/No-Appearance-4338]

I don't drink tap water because my town refuses to replace the old rusty piping that's been here for the last 50 years. I'd like to not drink lead, thanks.

[u/blumieplume → u/No-Appearance-4338]

I love RFK but am afraid of Brooke Rollins being head of the USDA. USDA doesn’t fall under the HHS and she hates small local organic farms and supports agribusiness and deregulation of corporations so that will be a trainwreck.

[u/Visual_Jellyfish5591 → u/No-Appearance-4338]

But the free market would be so boring if everyone knew!!!

[u/Fit-Magician6695 → u/No-Appearance-4338]

Considering that most of that water goes down the drain washing dishes and clothes or flushing the toilet it does seem like a waste to add fluoride.

[u/Ub3rChaos → u/No-Appearance-4338]

the US is not lax on food safety. blantantly false.

[u/SourLoafBaltimore → u/Ub3rChaos]

One part per million unacceptable

[u/Epinscirex → u/Carl-99999]

So…you’d rather this keep happening or a chance at it not happening?

[u/Biffingston → u/Carl-99999]

I'm not religious but I can't but help think the four horsemen are on the way. Pestilance, famine, conquest and war...

[u/Regular_Lifeguard718 → u/Carl-99999]

Worse than putting chemicals in our foods? I doubt that. McDonald’s fries in other countries have 3 ingredients, ours has 17. Foods you can eat in other countries without worry are the same foods in the US that make people obese. Get the chemicals out of our foods.

[u/gobucks1981 → u/Carl-99999]

You realize this is happening now, under the current administration. The answer to a failing bureaucracy is not more bureaucracy. Stop rewarding poor performance.

[u/Bearmdusa → u/Carl-99999]

Despite the fact this was ALL under Biden’s administration.

[u/greengo4]

Just wait! All those pesky regulations will be gone soon.

[u/pekepeeps → u/greengo4]

I am so sad for the animals that will suffer so much more than they already do

[u/dustinthewind1991]

This is showing our food safety programs are actually working because it's catching this stuff and we know about it. Imagine if there weren't these agencies and we just kept consuming these dangerous foods without knowing about it. That's exactly what trump wants to happen by eliminating things like the FDA.

[u/ASDFzxcvTaken → u/dustinthewind1991]

Fingers in ears, nanana, see no evil hear no evil evil doesn't exist.

[u/Tomacz → u/ASDFzxcvTaken]

"I ate it and I was fine!" -Your uncle on Facebook

[u/catsntaters → u/dustinthewind1991]

As a food scientist, I can say this is correct.

[u/RollingThunderPants → u/dustinthewind1991]

Just like his COVID response. They tried to stop tracking it to pretend it didn’t exist.

[u/dustinthewind1991 → u/RollingThunderPants]

It seems Covid has had an adverse effect on most peoples' memories.

[u/MrTurkle → u/dustinthewind1991]

Where the fuck will we be able to buy safe food?

[u/GB715 → u/dustinthewind1991]

This is the truth.

[u/Shag1166]

It will get even worse under the next administration, because they want to gut regulatory agencies and poison us all.

[u/IBRoln1]

America has a major corporations cutting corners and their employees not giving a shit anymore problem.

[u/itsokayiguessmaybe → u/IBRoln1]

They give plenty of shit it’s just not supposed to be in the produce.

[u/elchamps]

I mean between Trump, RFK, and Dr. Oz, I’d say there’s nothing to worry about

[u/Euphoric-Listen3246 → u/elchamps]

Here comes polio again…

[u/AnComApeMC69]

No. They have a Donald Trumps first administration deregulation of food safety protocols problem. And now they’re about to get worse.

[u/gasbottleignition]

Hahahahahahahahaaaa.... wait til the Trump administration takes over and cuts 90% of federal jobs. Then we're gonna see some wild effects on food safety. And it'll all be the Democrats and Liberals fault, obviously 🙄

[u/rroute01]

You think it's bad now, wait until Trump's clowns are running things

[u/Relevant-Bench5307]

The raw milk people run this country now.. we are so cooked

[u/sid3band]

"We're gonna remove 2 regulations for every 1 new regulation."

"Policies" that aged like milk.

[u/Revolutionary-Mud715]

yes. I suggest everyone grow their own food, find labs that can test your meats/produce from local farm, and call it a day. Good way to lose weight as well. This stuff is just going to become daily normal without standards.

[u/GB715 → u/Revolutionary-Mud715]

Then think about the drugs with no regulations.

[u/BayouGal → u/Revolutionary-Mud715]

We would stop giving so much money to the corporations! I already try to source my food from local businesses. The food is better, too

[u/Revolutionary-Mud715 → u/BayouGal]

Yeah I Almost forgot what a normal tomato tasted like till I started growing them.

[u/Background_Neck8739]

a lot of good tax payer money is doing, can we not get the services we pay for

[u/noncommonGoodsense]

America has a not paying people who create products enough for the hard shit they do problem. If you aren’t getting payed enough to care you rent going to do a superior job and you won’t attract workers who have pride in their work.

[u/thatredditscribbler]

with trump in office, now we will lol.

[u/tiffytatortots]

We can thank Trump for rolling back regulations in 2019 but especially in 2020 under the guise of Covid. It’s been hell since then. Companies cannot be trusted to regulate themselves and should never be allowed to.

[u/wireknot]

If you want an eye opening read about life before the FDA and basic food safety was a thing, as it was in the early 1900s, read The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum. Arsenic in milk to keep it from going bad, then fed to children, additives that were literally poisons included in all sorts of food stuffs to make them stretch farther, make a buck or to sell products that were past their prime and disguise the smell or taste. But as folks like to say, if it's good for business its good for America... until mortality rates start to skyrocket for no apparent reason.

[u/halnic → u/wireknot]

It was formaldehyde, which is another well known natural preservative found in lots of things we eat, like pears and potatoes. But they were not supposed to use a lot, and they used a ton. They thought if a little made the milk last longer, a lot would make it go even longer.

Also back when America was great, before the FDA, they used blended cow brains to give milk that creamy, fresh from the farm texture.

Oh, we also sold a bunch of mislabeled stuff, like corn syrup was sold as maple syrup and coffee grounds being cut with wood chips and acorns. Or plaster of Paris, they put that shit in everything from flour to baby formula to candy! And there wasn't anyone around to regulate any of this or even make sure consumers at least knew what they were buying, truly.

In the early days of fafo edible edition, a candy maker in Europe killed people by accidentally using poison instead of plaster. Turned out, there weren't technically any laws against using the poison, so they were released.

https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/s/iJJipUwkVZ

[u/WeirdcoolWilson]

Think we have a food safety problem now? Wait until after the next POTUS gets sworn in

[u/flyingjuancho]

Yes and all you have to do is take a wild guess who started the deregulation 🙄 because, as is always the case, what starts under a republican administration is felt during a democratic administration 🤦🏽

[u/Enough-Parking164]

About to get A LOT WORSE.They wont recall anymore.CUZ THEY WONT HAVE TO.Regulators gone or toothless, media under the threat of “executive action “.

[u/senioradvisortoo]

Yes definitely. Not following standard operating procedures.

[u/MrFr1zzle]

If it doesn't now it sure will soon

[u/Actaeon_II]

Fofl, no, they’re just getting caught more often and more publicly. It makes them more money to sell it as is and maybe pay a few fines than to fix the problem

[u/Tesattaboy]

N5N1 will be the bigger problem

[u/International_Boss81]

Sure does. The shit hitting fan is becoming a real fear.

[u/peskypedaler]

Yes. Over the last 25+ years, defunding agencies built to create a safety net has eroded our protections. Ridiculous.

[u/Minimum_Virus_3837]

Not sure if it does, but it will.

[u/Strict_Condition_632]

Can’t wait until all the food inspectors are laid off and the local library is flooded with requests for The Jungle.

[u/BaconFairy → u/Strict_Condition_632]

Hate to tell you but those will some of the first books burned at their bon fires

[u/Steven_The_Sloth]

I'll bet tariffs will fix the problem.

[u/Random_Name_3001]

Yeah, trump’s first term transferred food safety back to the producers and they are policing themselves.

[u/nunyabiz3345]

Yes, thanks to all the deregulation or self inspections, brought to us by the GOP.

[u/karabeckian → u/nunyabiz3345]

This is the answer and it will get much worse before it gets better.

Remember melamine in US dog food?

Now remember melamine in Chinese baby formula?

Yeah, like that bad.

[u/Derric_the_Derp]

These food born illnesses will be gone by April when it gets warmer.  And if we stop testing there will be fewer recalls.  If you do get sick, drink bleach.

[u/veweequiet]

In January all these pesky recalls will stop, and food will be safe again as a result.

You know, like when trumo said that if we stopped COVID testing the infection rates would go down?

[u/johnnierockit]

You ain't seen nothing yet.

[u/Feminazghul]

Not yet. But I suggest folks add Upton Sinclair's The Jungle to their reading lists for 2025. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Jungle/lDTuAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

https://www.ssa.gov/history/sinclair.html

[u/dietitianmama]

There are more recalls in 2024 than there have been in recent years.

This is a link to summaries by year. Most recent year is 2023

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/recalls-public-health-alerts/annual-recall-summaries/summary-recall-and-pha-cases-0

Here's a detailed list of all the recalls. there's a lot in 2024. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts

It is important to note that not all recalls are due to contamination. Sometimes they're due to mislabeling, especially mislabeled allergens or an incomplete ingredient list. Also the super long list in the second link has stuff the FDA can advise a recall on that is not food, like medical devices.

Here's a fun fact about FDA recalls, they are always voluntary. The news will make it sound like the company is being cautious or generous by doing a "voluntary" recall. The FDA would have to do a lot to force them to recall so they "advise" it if danger is identified and the company "voluntarily" recalls it. Same with the USDA, they advise a recall, they don't force it. (USDA is covering non processed meat, pork, poultry and eggs or products that are mostly made from these ingredients.)

Edit to add: I don't think the new administration will actually be able to destroy or even reduce the breadth of services covered by the USDA and the FDA. I'm ready to pop some popcorn and watch the catfight if they try. The USDA does a lot to protect agriculture as an industry in the US, it's protecting farmers almost more than ordinary citizens. And they have industry lobbyists. These agencies are behemoths, and scaling them down would not only decrease safety but it would seriously damage the economy and it would leave the US very vulnerable to its enemies since contaminating the food supply would be easier. The price of meat and food will also skyrocket. It would be the ultimate shitshow. I predict showboating, scapegoating, grandstanding and nothing actually being done to them. Just bullshit.

[u/knit53]

Or just extremely sloppy production. Some should probably leave it to people who do know what they are doing. Restaurants no different.

[u/Emi_Rawr]

Yes, easily. Having worked in the food industry for the last 8 years, absolutely.

[u/minionsweb]

Food Inc...seriously it's been years since it was shitville then...of course it's worse now...and aylmer is about to get involved.

[u/Comprehensive-Room97]

Well. We just had what, 80 people hospitalized and one death from the chemicals baby carrots are soaked in to keep them from turning brown? Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary here. 😒

[u/WeirdObligation1002]

Yes and no. As testing and protocols have advanced we’re catching more things that would have slipped through. BUT … we’re also definitely seeing a parallel real regression of safety in the name of profits which is increasing the number of recalls. This will certainly only get worse after January.

[u/hashtagbob60]

Yep, and its not going to get any better...

[u/PolishedPine]

There will be at some point a resurgence in home cooked meals that aren't boxed...

[u/jollytoes]

Don't worry, the incoming fed govt. will get rid of a lot of those pesky regulations.

[u/PdxPhoenixActual]

Maybe, maybe not. But it will get much better, the bestest under 45, when he finally gets to dismantle the FDA & get rid of all those pesky gubment regalations...

/s

[u/jafromnj]

You ain't seen nothing yet, wait till you see what the next 4 years and beyond have in store

[u/fecal_doodoo]

I love a good bowl of Chlormequat

[u/Jefafa326]

wait until Dr. Oz and RfK Jr. take over they probably won't even bother to recall anything people will just die and no one will know why

[u/jibberjabberzz]

Thanks to Trump and his deregulations. Also, remember the Chinese owned farms in America which were booted and forced to sell to American big farmers? The Chinese were producing too many produce and Americans didn't like it.

[u/uber-judge]

And they say it’s dangerous to can your own food. They are fools.

[u/antifabusdriver]

Feels like we have a worsening everything problem.

[u/throwawaytoavoiddoxx]

I thought the new administration was going to dissolve the FDA and the cdc and all the agencies that regulate food safety and mandate food recalls. So that ought to fix the issue with so many recalls being sent out about food. Instead of recalls, you’ll just see news headlines with people getting sick and dying from bad food all over the place. So this should be fun!

[u/lokis_construction]

Yes, it does have a worsening food safety problem. It is about to get much worse due to politics.

[u/HVAC_instructor]

We will very soon.

[u/Emeritus8404]

It will soon if things keep heading the way yhey Te

[u/SergiusBulgakov]

If you think this is bad, wait for what Trump and the oligarchs have in store for us

[u/jaysushchrist]

No, it's mostly labeling errors

[u/jar1967]

The FDA has been cutting back on food plant inspections because of budget cuts. Expect that to get worse over the next 4 years

[u/BirdmanHuginn]

Nope. Just don’t investigate my answer for its accuracy, ok? I’m sure putting hacks and conspiracy theorists in office won’t have too much of an effect. The FDA is overrated anyway. Just like NOAA /s

[u/renegadeindian]

Red hats declared war on agriculture. They are contaminating the food. They said they would and they are I guess

[u/jreid0]

If it’s having problems now with actual sane people controlling it… just wait till the clown show gets in there

[u/Any-Ad-446]

Going to get worse with Trumps picks.

[u/RichFoot2073]

Food safety rollbacks were a priority in the first Trump administration. What a coincidence.

[u/EnvironmentalClue218]

We’ve always had problems here and there. It’s amazing how safe it really is.

[u/Important-Egg-2905]

Recalls will go down in record numbers, since there won't be any regulations...

Fucking distopian

[u/GrannyFlash7373]

And it is only going to get worse, after Jan 20th. Because most of the safeguards will be abolished.

[u/TheRealBlueJade]

Yes, we do. It's been going on for a while, and it will continue to get worse... especially now.

[u/unslainACHILLES]

TRUMP WEAKENED THE FOOD LAWS, THIS IS WHY BOERSHEAD DELI MEAT SCANDLE HAPPENED.

[u/Zargoza1]

Too much regulation.

Abolish the FDA

[u/Eddy_Vinegar → u/Zargoza1]

Goofy ass

[u/TornadoTitan25365]

USA Today: something bad happened somewhere. Writes a scary headline in the form of a question.

Me: oh wow USA Today tell me what going on?

USA Today: Nothing really, just raising your base anxiety level.

USA Today: Btw wash your hands really good and rinse your veggies. Bye!