McDonald’s, BrucePac and Boar’s Head: Are foodborne outbreaks increasing?

Federal health officials note that the perception of an increase in foodborne outbreaks linked to serious and potentially deadly bacteria may be due to the scale of the latest recalls.

In recent months, several significant foodborne outbreaks and corresponding recalls have occurred, including those involving Boar's Head deli meats, BrucePac's ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, and most recently, McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.

An FDA spokesperson told FOX Business that the number of food-related recalled events in fiscal year 2024 was "generally consistent" with years past. 

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"There may be a perception that the amount of recalls has increased particularly if one recall event has a large number of affected products," the FDA said in a statement, adding that these recalls are "critical in protecting the public against harmful products." 

Peter Pitts, a former associate FDA commissioner and co-founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, argued that consistency isn't a good thing when it comes to foodborne diseases. 

"If the numbers are consistent, then something's wrong," Pitts told FOX Business, adding that as time goes on, the ability for the "system to identify issues with foodborn diseases should be getting better. It shouldn't be staying the same." 

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He said that "consistently having the same number says to me that we're not doing as good a job as we should at identifying foodborne illnesses." 

Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked McDonald's Quarter Pounders to an E. coli outbreak across 10 states, with 49 cases, 10 hospitalizations and one death reported. 

It came shortly after BrucePac recalled 12 million pounds of its ready-to-eat meat and poultry earlier this month because routine testing by the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service found listeria contamination.

In July, Boar's Head deli meats, including liverwurst, were identified as the source of the largest listeria outbreak since 2011. The outbreak affected 19 states, hospitalized nearly 59 people and resulted in 10 deaths, according to the CDC. 

Pitts described food safety in the U.S. as "a partnership between industry and state agriculture and the federal government."

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While he noted that the FDA does not have a single system for collecting and analyzing data, he suggested that enhancing food safety in the U.S. – which he said is already quite strong – could be achieved by ensuring that the various components of data gathering and reporting are more responsible and interconnected.

In the U.S., most product recalls are initiated voluntarily by manufacturers, importers or distributors, the FDA said. These recalls may arise from the company's own testing, FDA notifications, consumer complaints or regulatory findings. When food companies identify potential issues, they are encouraged – and sometimes legally required – to notify the FDA, the agency said.

The FDA maintains that the U.S. food supply is among the safest globally. A spokesperson from the agency told FOX Business The Economist's Global Food Security Index shows the U.S. has improved its food safety ranking significantly since 2012, achieving a joint first place in 2022.

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"Our ultimate goal is for industry to do their part to ensure that the foods they introduce into the market are not adulterated or misbranded," the FDA spokesperson said. "Recalls help get the food off of the market quickly when something goes wrong and the occurrence of recalls means that manufacturers, importers and distributors are monitoring for issues and taking action when they detect a problem."