Americans are worried that the number of dangerous recalls is on the rise. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on pace to issue more Class 1 recalls this year than last year, with 519 Class 1 recalls already this year.
Although it is disturbing to learn that ingesting a recalled product may have catastrophic repercussions, Americans may be assured that there does not appear to be an increase in lethal recalls.
The FDA defines a Class 1 recall as a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
The three product categories that appeared most often in the analysis of Class 1 recall data for the previous four years, running from Monday through May, were drugs, foods, and medical devices.
The number of food recalls issued by the FDA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has increased by 135 percent since 2018, according to research published in December by MasterControl, a software company specializing in life sciences. The combined total of recalls issued by the two agencies increased from 280 in 2018 to 603 in 2022, a greater than 100% increase.
Data from the Food and Drug Administration shows that as of May 2023, there were 729 Class 1 recalls, almost 200 more than the total for the current year. There were 410 recalls in total for the year 2023, with the bulk of them happening during the week of March 22.
As of May 2022, 538 Class 1 recalls had been reported on the FDA website, this year, there have been 308 Class 1 recalls, which is lower than the previous record set in 2021.
Nevertheless, the frequency of Class 1 recalls issued by the FDA across various product categories does not appear to mirror the rise.
Listeria and other forms of infection, as well as the presence of unwanted substances such as nuts and eggs, led to the recall of items. Incorrect labeling or potent medications were among the causes for the Class 1 recalls of several prescription goods. On rare occasions, veterinary items like dog food might also show up for reasons like salmonella contamination.
The Organic Light halves and pieces of shelled walnuts from Gibson Farms were recently recalled as Class 1 by the FDA due to concerns about potential E. coli contamination. After a laboratory test revealed that the 24-ounce containers of “Queso de Mano PAISA” were tainted with Listeria monocytogenes, Tama Corporation withdrew the product in April.
