Number of food recalls drop since start of pandemic; experts say food supply is still safe

WASHINGTON — The number of food recalls have dropped since the start of the pandemic and it’s leading to concerns about food safety as the crisis continues.

“Right now, I think there’s no reason for consumers to panic about the food supply,” deputy director of Regulatory Affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest Sarah Sorscher said. “I think in general our food is as safe as it has been but as this outbreak continues, we could see evidence that there are some cracks in the system.”

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The United States Department of Agriculture is still doing inspections.

Records with the USDA show there was one food recall on Feb. 8 and there weren’t any others after that until April 10 when two recalls were listed, meaning there weren’t any recalls for more than two months.

Before that time, there four food recalls in January, four in December and four in November.

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“It’s really hard to say yet if this is really a problem because recall numbers tend to rise and fall a bit even in normal times,” Sorscher said. “If recalls were falling during the outbreak, it would definitely be a red flag because it would be a sign that issues are not being caught that would otherwise have been flagged.”

A spokesperson for the USDA said:

“The food supply chain is a critical industry in the United States and Secretary Perdue fully recognizes the need to keep workers and inspectors safe during the COVID-19 national emergency. He also applauds the true commitment and patriotism our food supply chain workers have shown during this time and the work they continue to do day in and day out. USDA recognizes and supports the efforts of private industry and companies to maintain operational status of their facilities while also maintaining the safety and health of their work force. USDA, together with the FDA and CDC, will continue to support a whole of America approach to ensure the food supply chain remains safe and secure.”

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