Foodborne outbreaks increased in 2024 despite decrease in food recalls

While food recalls dropped by 5 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, the number of foodborne illnesses increased, according to the Pubic Interest Research Group (PIRG).

In its report, For for Thought 2025, the organization says a total of 1,392 people in America became ill after eating a contaminated food in 2024. In 2023 that number was 1,118. The number of hospitalizations more than doubled, hitting 487, which was up from 230 in 2023. Deaths from foodborne illnesses increased in 2024 to 19, up from eight in 2023.

“Our biggest takeaway from 2024: We saw a dramatic increase in serious illnesses and deaths associated with unsafe food. The biggest threats stem from Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli,” the report authors wrote.

Deaths in 2024 were associated with deli meat, cucumbers, onions, carrots, soft cheese, chocolate snacks with mushrooms and ready-to-eat meat and poultry, according to the report.

The true number of people sickened in foodborne illness outbreaks is likely much higher than those confirmed as outbreak patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency estimates that for every Salmonella patient confirmed there are actually 29 patients. For E. coli outbreaks there are likely 26 to 106 more sick people depending on the serotype of the bacteria. For every Listeria patient the CDC estimates there are two actually sickened in every outbreak. Overall, the CDC estimates one in every 6 people in America are sickened by foodborne bacteria every year.

Of those confirmed patients in foodborne outbreaks in 2024, 98 percent became ill from food that was recalled in 13 outbreaks. All of those outbreaks except one involved either Listeria, Salmonella or E. coli, according to the PIRG report.

“(That is) a stunning fact that shows the consequences of companies producing or selling contaminated food,” the report authors wrote.

The 13 outbreaks with illnesses and specific product recalls involved the following contaminants:

• Five instances of Salmonella: found in cucumbers, eggs, fresh basil and charcuterie meats.
• Three instances of Listeria: queso fresco and cotija cheese; deli meats and liverwurst; and ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
• Four instances of E. coli: organic carrots, onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, organic walnuts and raw cheddar cheese.
• One instance of toxic levels of muscimol in mushroom-infused snacks

Recall statistics
The number of recalls because of Listeria, Salmonella, and E coli increased by 41 percent and accounted for 39 percent of all recalls in 2024. Recalls because of Listeria contamination rose from 47 to 65, and recalls for Salmonella increased from 27 to 41. 

Although the number of illnesses confirmed in foodborne outbreaks dramatically increased, the overall number of recalls dropped by 5 percent, totaling 296 according to the PIRG report. 

The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees 80 percent of the food supply in America, posted company recalls at a rate 8 percent above the 2023 numbers. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture saw a 38 percent decrease in the number of recalls it posted. The PRIG report says the overall decline in the number of recalls could be the result of fewer inspections. The report says the fewer recalls is not an indication that food was any safer in 2024 than it was in 2023. 

“The increase in FDA recall announcements also doesn’t automatically mean that produce, spices and snacks were more dangerous in 2024, or that meat and poultry were safer because USDA recalls were down,” the report states.

“The number of recalls indicates only the number of specific products that regulators or companies identified as risky in a given year, either because of testing, on-site inspections, illnesses or other reasons. An increase or decrease could point to more or fewer inspections or more or fewer people going to the doctor.”

“The FDA and USDA regulate all food sold in the United States – not just products made in this country, with 60 percent of FDA-registered facilities abroad. Indeed, a significant amount of certain foods is imported: 61 percent of fresh fruit, 35 percent of vegetables, and 91 percent of seafood,” according to the report.

The report notes high profile recalls and outbreaks in 2024. For example the Listeria outbreak traced to Boar’s Head deli meats, which sickened 61 people across 19 states killing 10, showed major food safety problems at the company’s production facility in Jarret, VA. The company recalled more than 7 millions pounds of meat in relation to the outbreak.

Two other major outbreaks were linked to cucumbers. The first was a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 551 people and hospitalized 155 in 34 states. The second cucumber outbreak saw 113 Salmonella illnesses across 28 states. The outbreak resulted in the hospitalization of 28 people.

An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to onions on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers sickened at least 104 people, hospitalized 34 and killed one.

Key statistics related to recalls that the report noted were:

• Recalls because of potential Listeria contamination reached 65, compared with 47 in 2023.
• Recalls because of potential Salmonella contamination hit 41, compared with 27 in 2023.
• There was a surge in recalls because of excessive lead in foods – 13 in 2024, compared with four in 2023. All of these were in cinnamon products.
• Recalls because food contained metal, plastic or some other potentially hazardous material declined slightly, from 15 in 2023 to 12 in 2024.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/02/foodborne-outbreaks-increased-in-2024-despite-the-fact-that-food-recalls-decreased/