Food Recalls on the Rise Amid Stricter Oversight and Supply Chain Complexity

Experts say increased vigilance and better detection lead to more recalls, but food is not necessarily less safe.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Food recalls may feel more frequent, but experts say the overall trend is more complicated than a simple "food is less safe now" narrative. Increased oversight, better detection, and stricter preventive systems can lead to more recalls being identified and announced. Many recalls still stem from common issues like undeclared allergens, contamination, and breakdowns in labeling, communication, or execution.

Why it matters

The rise in food recalls highlights the challenges of maintaining food safety in complex global supply chains, even as regulators and companies work to improve oversight and preventive measures. While more recalls may seem alarming, they can also indicate that the food safety system is functioning as intended to identify and address potential issues.

The details

According to the FDA, food recall trends are broadly consistent with previous years, though the agency issued 15.4% more recalls in 2025 than in 2024. Experts say this is largely due to the scale and complexity of global supply chains, large-scale agricultural and manufacturing operations, and the reality that both human and system failures can occur. The leading causes of FDA recalls over the past year were undeclared allergens, bacterial contamination, foreign material contamination, and lack of inspection.

  • In 2025, Delish covered more than 130 major food-related recalls.
  • Last year, ready-to-eat pasta contaminated with Listeria was linked to 6 deaths and 25 hospitalizations, nearly 2,000 pounds of butter were recalled due to fecal contamination, and hundreds of gallons of milk were recalled for containing chemical cleaning agents.

The players

FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency responsible for regulating and overseeing the safety of food, drugs, and other products.

Sedgwick

A global risk management and business solutions company that publishes an annual report on product safety and recalls in the U.S.

Chris Harvey

The Senior Vice President of brand protection and client services at Sedgwick.

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What they’re saying

“Despite advances in automation, traceability, and digital monitoring, many companies still struggle with timely recall execution, clear communication, and coordinated cross-functional response.”

— Sedgwick, 2026 State of the Nation U.S. Product Safety and Recall Index Report (Sedgwick)

“An increase in recalls does not necessarily mean that food is less safe. Instead, he credits the Food Safety Modernization Act with introducing stronger preventative measures throughout our food system.”

— Chris Harvey, SVP of brand protection and client services (Sedgwick)

What’s next

The FDA and Congress are implementing new policies aimed at increasing oversight of food ingredients that are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and limiting ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in American diets, which may contribute to further changes in the food recall landscape.

The takeaway

While food recalls may seem more frequent, the rise is largely due to increased vigilance, better detection, and stricter preventive measures throughout the food system. This indicates that the safety mechanisms are working, even if it means more recalls are being identified and announced.