Food Recalls Hit 2-Year High

Consulting firm Stericycle ExpertRECALL found that recalls have risen 33 percent in the fourth quarter

More Articles by Jessica Chou

Feb 20, 2013 @ 3:53 PM

Apparently food recalls hit a two-year high in the fourth quarter, with about 18.4 million products recalled, Stericycle ExpertRECALL reports.

The consulting firm found that while historically, fourth quarter recall increases are normal, the 33 percent increase in food recalls (552 recalls) was the highest level in more than two years, Mike Rozembajgier of Stericycle told Food Navigator.

This resulted in an average of six recalls a day, Food Navigator notes.

The cause behind the increase? Peanut products, for the most part; salmonella concerns with the largest organic peanut processing plant sparked 164 out of the 522 recalls. Most notably, Trader Joe's peanut butter got the brunt of the bad press when the salmonella scare was on the rise.

Rozembajgier suggests that there could be a higher number of recalls in the future, once the Food Safety Modernization Act goes into effect. "Whenever new regulations are passed and enacted, we usually see more violations of the new rules, especially immediately after implementation," Rozembajgier said.