Illnesses from contaminated food increased in 2024
Each week, R.J. sends me briefings on various topics (covid, etc.) impacting the nation. This particular report caught my eye. If you have worked in the food industry, you would know an outbreak of listeria is serious. Such an outbreak leads to a shutdown of a facility for a long period of time. The FDA and USDA typically get involved. My experience was in the Oscar Mayer facilities, mostly in Madison WI.
When such an outbreak occurs, it is typical to close down the facility. Such an outbreak led to the shutdown of Boars Head due to listeria found in Liverwurst. I am pretty sure this impacted the other products in that facility as well. I have not seen Boars Head hot dogs much less their liverwurst in our Frys or Bashas in a while. More in the article below.
How does this relate? r.j. is reporting on food contamination in 2024.
Report: Illnesses from contaminated food increased in 2024, severe cases doubled;
– by r. j. sigmund
The number of Americans with confirmed illness caused by contaminated food rose by 25% last year, according to a new report from the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund. The Food for Thought 2025 report shows a total of 1,392 Americans in 2024 became ill after consuming a contaminated food item, up from 1,118 in 2023. What’s more, the number of hospitalizations more than doubled, rising from 230 to 487, and deaths climbed from 8 to 19. Nearly all (98%) of the people became ill from food that was recalled in 13 outbreaks with confirmed illnesses. All but 1 of which involved either Listeria, Salmonella, or Escherichia coli.
“We saw a dramatic increase in serious illness and deaths associated with unsafe food,” the authors of the report wrote. “The biggest threats stem from Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli.”
Because many people recover from food poisoning without medical attention, the true numbers are likely much higher. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in every 6 Americans becomes ill every year from contaminated food or beverages. Yet at the same time, the 296 food recall announcements from the two agencies that regulate all food sold in the United States (the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)) represented a 5% decline from 2023. While FDA recalls rose by 8%, USDA recalls fell by 38%.
The authors say the overall decline could be the result of fewer inspections or fewer people reporting foodborne illness, and not an indication that food was any safer in 2024. Although the number of food recall announcements were down, foodborne-illness outbreaks were in the headlines in 2024, not only because of their size but also because they involved some of the country’s most well-known food brands.
Among those was the multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meat. The 19-state outbreak sickened 61 people, 60 of whom were hospitalized, and is suspected in the deaths of 10 people. An investigation by the USDA identified multiple food safety lapses at a Boar’s Head facility in Virginia that produced liverwurst, which was identified as the source of the outbreak. The plant was closed indefinitely on September 13.
Another was an outbreak of E coli O157:H7 tied to Quarter Pounder hamburgers sold at McDonald’s. The outbreak sickened 104 people in 14 states, with 34 hospitalizations and 1 death. The FDA identified raw slivered onions as the likely source of contamination in that outbreak. Other major outbreaks included a multistate outbreak of Salmonella tied to cucumbers that resulted in 551 cases and 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The outbreak led Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. to issue a cucumber recall on May 31. Another Salmonella outbreak in November connected to cucumbers grown in Mexico caused 113 illnesses in 23 states, including 28 hospitalizations.
There were also notable outbreaks involving eggs, fresh basil, and charcuterie meats contaminated with Salmonella. Queso fresco and cotija cheese contaminated with Listeria. Also organic carrots, organic walnuts, and raw cheddar cheese contaminated with E coli. Overall, the report finds that while the single biggest reason for food recalls last year was undeclared allergens or ingredients, the number of recalls because of Listeria, Salmonella, and E coli increased by 41% and accounted for 39% of all recalls in 2024. Recalls because of Listeria contamination rose from 47 to 65, and recalls for Salmonella increased from 27 to 41.
One of the major reasons is that processed food is so concentrated in production. So one contaminated onion is slivered and the slivered onions are held in a large batch. The entire batch becomes contaminated. And if the holding and conveying system for these onions are not cleaned properly (typically once a shift or once a day) then everything else that is put into them is contaminated. And then holding a salad in a bag, slightly moist, is a better environment for bacteria to grow than a dry unwashed head of lettuce. I prefer to use minimally processed produce than processed produce.
The Boar’s Head problem was poor management and food safety skills. The problems in the plant were well known but left unaddressed.
Precambrian:
Definitely, I agree with your opinion. Boars Head was lazy. At OM, the place was scrubbed down whenever a batch was finished. Listeria in a plant is hard to get rid of once found. Best case scenario is prevention. I would guess the plant manager and quality manager were fired.