Are Contaminated Foods in Your Fridge?

It’s lunchtime. You’re unwrapping a sandwich — lettuce, tomato, maybe some of your favorite deli meat. But what if one of those ingredients was contaminated with something like salmonella, E. coli, or listeria? Pathogens that could make you seriously ill — or worse.

It’s not as far-fetched as you think. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people get sick from foodborne illnesses each year. Of those, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die.

Last year alone, there were around 300 food recalls in the U.S., and hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illnesses were up 41% from 2023. One of the most serious, last summer’s Listeria outbreak tied to Boar’s Head deli meat, led to 57 hospitalizations, nine deaths, and the recall of more than 7 million pounds of products.

Now, with two key food safety committees disbanded this month and the Food and Drug Administration tight-lipped about ongoing outbreaks, experts are sounding the alarm: the next food safety crisis could be happening, and consumers might not know until it’s too late.

“We Can’t Protect the American Public”

“There may be more bad products on the shelves,” one FDA scientist, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, warned Consumer Reports.

One of the disbanded committees — the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection — was focused on improving how the USDA communicates with underserved communities and ensures compliance with food safety regulations. The other was the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods — or NACMCF.

Staffed by top scientists and researchers, NACMCF reviewed the FDA’s actions during outbreaks, like the one tied to Boar’s Head. It also was working on recommendations to address the increase in deadly foodborne illnesses, including the 2022 Cronobacter outbreak caused by Abbott Nutrition infant formula that resulted in the death of two infants and a nationwide shortage of formula.

But now, “We’re doing less testing in general, so there may be more bad products on the shelves, [containing things like] metals, listeria, and banned colors,” a second anonymous FDA scientist told Consumer Reports. “Between the loss of people and being hamstrung by [the lack of] supplies and research, we can’t protect the American public as well.”

Which Foods Are Under Investigation?

The FDA’s Human Foods Program ensures the safety of most of the U.S. food supply. It inspects infant formula factories, responds to outbreaks, coordinates recalls — like the one for lead-tainted applesauce last year — and researches food additives, banning toxic ones like Red Dye No. 3 earlier this year.

The agency is currently investigating a listeria outbreak and a salmonella outbreak. The not-so-small problem: They haven’t said which foods are under investigation.

One of those listeria outbreaks has already sickened 31 people as of March 13th. The salmonella outbreak has sickened 33 people, but the FDA hasn’t identified the source. Meanwhile, an earlier listeria outbreak tied to Sysco frozen food shakes continues and has hospitalized 38 people across 21 states and killed 12.

Even before this year, food safety experts inside and outside the FDA were concerned that tight budgets were chipping away at their ability to keep up with outbreaks. Some of the budget cuts affecting rapid response teams were first proposed during the previous administration, said Steven Mandernach, executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, a trade association for health and medical product professionals.

“If we get another applesauce outbreak, there are going to be fewer boots on the ground who are going to the dollar stores and making sure they actually take that product off the shelves,” he said.

How to Protect Yourself

So, what can you do? Food safety experts say to stay informed.

• Review Food Safety Tips: Brush up on food safety at Consumer Reports or through resources like Nutritition.gov
• Ask Food Safety Questions: Call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or email  MPHotline@usda.gov.
• Download the Free Food Recalls & Alerts Phone App:  It’s available for both Apple and Android devices. It also sends FDA, USDA, and pet food recall notifications to consumers’ cell phones.

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