It’s more than lettuce: Oysters, organic frozen blueberries and soft ricotta cheese are among the foods recalled this year because of potential contamination.
Journalists play a vital role in reporting on food recalls, both to inform the public about what products are being taken off shelves and to update their audiences on the status of ongoing foodborne illness investigations.
Accurate reporting on recalls is critical to public safety, as the ongoing Cyclospora outbreaks demonstrate. More than 4,173 people have been affected by watery diarrhea and other symptoms associated with the organism so far, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In this evolving story, shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations was found to be associated with an outbreak in five states that sickened at least 1,644 people. The lettuce’s supplier, Taylor Farms, then issued a voluntary recall of its bagged shredded lettuce in 27 states, and said it was removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico. However, FDA investigators later said July 19 that while their initial testing on a lettuce sample was positive for Cyclospora, it was actually a false positive, meaning the lettuce did not contain the organism. They are still working to identify and confirm additional sources of other clusters of outbreaks.
As of July 22, the FDA identified a new outbreak of cyclosporiasis that has sickened at least 72 people, the New York Times reported. The agency has not yet provided information about the source of the new outbreak or its location, the Times said.
Reasons for recalls
Food products may be recalled due to possible contamination with bacteria or for other reasons, like the presence of undeclared allergens. A manufacturer recalled chocolate-covered raisins because the snack may contain peanut particles not mentioned on the packaging, posing a danger for people with serious or life-threatening allergies to peanuts. Products also can be recalled because of manufacturing issues. MorningStar Farms recalled its vegetarian chicken nuggets and sausage patties in June because of possible plastic pieces in the foods.
The number of food recalls each year is unknown but likely in the hundreds, said Morgan Holm, executive director and editor-in-chief of Food Safety News, an independent news organization covering foodborne illness outbreaks, recalls and regulations. Foodborne outbreaks are becoming more common as more foods cross international borders, he noted.
“It’s probably hard to put a number on that because it’s tracked in so many different ways at so many different levels,” Holm told AHCJ. While federal agencies including the FDA monitor the larger ones, there are smaller recalls where companies take the initiative to pull something off the shelves, sometimes due to an issue confirmed by lab testing, and other times out of an abundance of caution, he said.
Where to find information about recalled foods
The FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture maintain lists of recalled foods and safety/public health alerts. Journalists also can search the FDA archive for information about previous recalls. The CDC follows foodborne outbreaks like the current Cyclospora outbreak. Food Safety News also runs articles on recalled food products, as do some organizations like Stop Foodborne Illness.
Most state health or agriculture departments also track local food recalls. “Some of the most active people are your county health departments,” Holm said. “That’s because they’re doing the restaurant inspections. They’re hearing from doctors who are treating cases…Those are some good places to start looking.”
What information should be included in stories about food recalls
Clearly identify the contaminant, including the strain of bacteria if it’s known, Holm said. Also include lot numbers supplied by the companies issuing recalls, and states or geographic areas where the recalled product was distributed.
“It seems like very rote information, but the public really depends on easy access to that information because they are going to their refrigerators or cupboards and looking at that package and trying to figure out what to do with it,” he said. “It’s not real exciting, action-packed detail, but it’s essential detail.”
Beyond initial reports, check back with county and state health departments to find out if they discovered how a particular product became contaminated, Holm said. “If you keep asking questions, it can put some pressure out there. It can bring to light things that need to be followed up on. This is a particular challenge right now because the number of federal workers who used to focus on food safety is down.”
Fresh story angles for journalists
There are multiple story angles journalists can pursue when writing about food recalls. Consider these ideas:
- Write about people impacted by contaminated foods.
Foodborne illness outbreaks can be devastating to families. For example, an outbreak of E. coli tied to contaminated meat at Jack in the Box restaurants in 1992-1993 infected hundreds of people and killed four children. - Write about how bacterial organisms were detected.
Reporting on how contaminants are identified can offer readers a behind-the-scenes look at food safety investigations. At a microbiology meeting I covered in June, a director at the California Department of Public Health’s state public health laboratory talked about how he and his colleagues found bacteria in ByHeart powdered infant formula associated with cases of infant botulism across the country last fall. He also discussed how they worked with the FDA and CDC to investigate the outbreak even during the government shutdown. I submitted a story about that to the infectious disease magazine that sent me to the meeting. - Debunk misinformation.
Reuters produced this story with infectious disease experts explaining that the anti-parasitic medication ivermectin would not be effective against Cyclospora. This was in response to social media posts by two congresswomen promoting ivermectin, with one post offering a discount code for an online provider selling the drug, Reuters reported. - Connect stories to other current events.
A less reported story related to the war in Iran is the impact on fertilizer supplies, Holm said. There has been substantial concern in the produce industry about what to plant that will emerge later in the summer or fall because farmers weren’t sure if they would have enough fertilizer, he said. - Report on the impact on consumer buying habits.
For example, you could write about options served at restaurants, or the impact on the companies issuing recalls. - Write about insecticides/pesticides.
Cover how these chemicals are being used in the fields where food is grown.
How to find expert sources
Beyond government agencies and state/county health department officials, look to universities, Holm advised. “Microbiologists are becoming a bigger and bigger part of this,” he said. “Some universities like Michigan State have good food safety programs. A lot of the agricultural extension schools also have a food safety component to their programs.”
Additionally, some companies developing food safety technologies have scientific experts on staff. Infectious disease and public health experts also can be knowledgeable sources to comment on news stories on foodborne illness.
Journalists also could attend or check out the agendas for two big food safety meetings: the Food Safety Summit and the International Association for Food Protection, to find sources and story ideas.
Other good resources, Holm said, include the Food Fix newsletter and the Don’t Eat Poop! podcast. He also recommended Bill Marler, an attorney who started Food Safety News, and Darin Detwiler, an associate teaching professor at Northeastern University in Boston and father of a child who died from the E. coli infection associated with Jack in the Box hamburgers in 1992-1993. Both are nationally recognized food safety experts.
Other resources
- Feds zero in on cyclospora source: Iceberg lettuce from Mexico – Food Fix
- FDA retracts test result but still links Taylor Farms lettuce to cyclosporiasis – Washington Post
- Can I eat lettuce now? What to know about the cyclosporiasis outbreak – Washington Post
- This is why our fresh produce keeps making us sick – New York Times
- You’ve heard of cyclospora. What other parasites can you catch from food? – MedPage Today
- Food recalls are rising. Here’s what consumers need to know – Forbes
- What you should see in a recall notice – Food Safety News
- 30 years after Jack in the Box scandal, food safety issues still underreported – an AHCJ blog post
- Why transparency matters in food safety – an AHCJ blog post
- Covering foodborne illness and food safety – an AHCJ tip sheet from 2019
