Undeclared Allergens Top Cause of FDA and USDA Food Recalls

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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December 10, 2019


• Categories: Compliance, Food Labs, Food Manufacturing, Foodservice & Retail, RC - Regulatory & Lab Efficiency

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
  • Produce: 19
  • Flavoring: 14
  • 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
  • Poultry: 33%
  • Beef: 21%
  • Pork: 12.5%
  • Seafood: 4.2%
• However, this category came out on top for recalls by pound, at 22.6% of recalled pounds
• Top Reasons
  • Undeclared allergen: 37.5%
  • Bacterial contamination: 21%
  • Foreign material: 17%