Undeclared Allergens Top Cause of FDA and USDA Food Recalls

Stericycle released its Q3 2019 Recall Index last month. The following are the key takeaways:

FDA Food Recalls

• Recalled food units increased 319.5% to 8.8 million
• 21.5% had nationwide distribution
• Top food categories
• Prepared foods: 24

1. Produce: 19
2. Flavoring: 14
3. Seafood: 12

• Undeclared allergens were the top cause at 35.5%
• Foreign material were top cause of units impacted at 47%

USDA Recalls

• Decreased 25% to 24
• Affected 537,000 pounds
• Top Categories

1. Poultry: 33%
2. Beef: 21%
3. Pork: 12.5%
4. Seafood: 4.2%

• However, this category came out on top for recalls by pound, at 22.6% of recalled pounds

Top Reasons

1. Undeclared allergen: 37.5%
2. Bacterial contamination: 21%
3. Foreign material: 17%

Article Source: https://foodsafetytech.com/news_article/undeclared-allergens-top-cause-of-fda-and-usda-food-recalls/