The states with the highest rates of food recalls revealed in new study

The states with the highest rates of food recalls revealed in new study

• Vermont ranks number one, with 2.47 food recalls per 100,000 citizens from 2010-2024.  
• Wyoming and Rhode Island rank second and third, with 2.23 and 2.19 food recalls per 100,000 since 2010, respectively.  
• The top three most common reasons for food recalls in the US are ‘product contamination,’ ‘misbranding’ and ‘unreported allergens.’

New research has revealed the states with the highest rates of food recalls, with Vermont ranking number one.
Food safety experts at FOSS IQX analyzed data from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service on the number of food recalls in each state from 2010 to 2024, as well as the most common causes. The data compared recall numbers to state populations to identify which states have the highest recall rates per 100,000 citizens.
The states with the highest food recall rates per 100,000 citizens

Vermont ranks number one, with 2.47 food recalls per 100,000 citizens from 2010 to 2024. During the time period analyzed, the state had a total of 16 recalls. The years with the most were 2016 and 2019, which both had three.  Wyoming places second, with 2.23 recalls per 100,000. The years with the most recalls in Wyoming were 2013 and 2017, which both had three. Overall, the state had 13 since 2010.  Rhode Island takes the third spot, with 2.19 food recalls per 100,000 people. Overall, the state had 24 recalls since 2010, with six of these occurring in 2017.

Delaware is fourth, with 2.04 recalls per 100,000 residents. The state had a total of 21 recalls from 2010-2024, with eight happening in 2017 alone.
Maine comes in fifth, with 1.86 recalls per 100,000 people since 2010. Overall, it had 26. The years 2016 and 2019 saw the most recalls in the state, with five each.
Alaska is next, with 1.77 food recalls per 100,000. In total, there have been 13 in the state since 2010. Its top year for food recalls was 2015, which had three.
Hawaii takes seventh place, with 1.74 recalls per 100,000 people from 2010 to 2024. Overall, the state had 25 recalls during the time period analyzed, with four occurring in 2011.
Oregon is eighth, with 1.61 food recalls per 100,000. There were 11 recalls in 2018 alone, contributing to the state’s total of 68.

Connecticut ranks ninth, with 1.60 recalls per 100,000 citizens. In total, the state had 58 from 2010-2024. The year that saw the most was 2017, with 12 occurrences.  Utah rounds off the top ten, with 1.52 food recalls per 100,000 people since 2010. Overall, the state had 52 recalls during the time period analyzed, with 9 of these occurring in 2016.
The research also revealed the most common reasons for food recalls across the US. ‘Product contamination’ is the top cause, with 118 occurrences from 2010 to 2024. ‘Misbranding’ and ‘unreported allergens’ rank second and third, with 95 and 81 occurrences, respectively. ‘Produced without benefit of inspection’ (52 occurrences) and ‘import violation’ (32 occurrences) round off the top five.

Janick Elleholm Jensen, a spokesperson for FOSS IQX, has commented,

“It is interesting to see so many smaller states, such as Vermont and Wyoming, at the top of the ranking. While these states may have had fewer total recalls compared to larger states, such as California, which had 234, their rates per population are much higher.”
“In 2024, there have been some huge food recalls, including those from a national deli meat producer, as well as a global fast-food chain, which have led to a rise in public concern about food safety.”
“Food recalls happen when companies do not implement a well enough analysis to understand their food safety hazards. A poor analysis can lead to poor control of a production site with e.g. improper training of employees, poor hygiene procedures and control mechanisms not sufficiently set up. “While you can’t guarantee all food is safe from bacteria, there are steps you can take to help protect yourself by using typical industry tools like HACCP or Preventive Controls.”
“To handle food safely, a company needs to be better aware of their main challenges. Especially many smaller companies lack access to knowledge about what can go wrong. Is the food that they are producing prone to specific types of bacteria? How can they get bacteria levels down to a minimum level of acceptance? Are the control mechanisms actually being followed correctly by operators? Answers to these questions can easily be managed with a solid hazard analysis.”
“It can however be difficult for many companies to maintain an overview of these challenges, as there can be hundreds of ways where things can go wrong. Therefore, access to the ‘right’ knowledge and data can be key to getting recall levels down.”

story credit  https://iqx.net/.   Source  Recalls & Public Health Alerts – 2010-2024 – Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture  Methodology 

• The total number of food recalls in each state was scraped from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service for each year from 2010 to 2024.
• These figures were compared against each state’s population to identify the states with the highest number of food recalls per 100,000 citizens.
• The reason for each recall was also scraped from the same source to identify which are the most common.

Full ranking of the states with the highest food recall rates per 100,000 citizens

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The states with the highest rates of food recalls revealed in new study

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Author: David Keech

David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]