Food recall statistics show how often USDA-regulated meat, poultry, egg, and related products were recalled, how much product was involved, and which hazards or compliance problems were reported. In the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) annual summaries, 2021 had the largest quantity recalled, while 2023 had the highest number of recalls among the three years.
Contents
- At a glance: 2021–2023
- Recall risk classes
- Why products were recalled in 2021
- Why products were recalled in 2022
- Why products were recalled in 2023
- Meat and poultry species in 2021
- Meat and poultry species in 2023
At a glance: 2021–2023
FSIS recorded 47 recalls involving 15,501,273 pounds in calendar year 2021. The 2022 summary recorded 45 recalls and 1,769,556 pounds. In 2023, FSIS recorded 65 recalls totaling 4,005,384 pounds. These figures come from the annual FSIS case summaries for 2021, 2022, and 2023.
| Calendar year | FSIS recalls | Pounds recalled |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47 | 15,501,273 |
| 2022 | 45 | 1,769,556 |
| 2023 | 65 | 4,005,384 |
The 2023 total was the highest recall count in this three-year set. The 2021 total was the highest quantity by pounds, largely because the annual summary included a very large Listeria monocytogenes recall. Counts are cases in each calendar-year summary, and pounds are the quantities reported by FSIS. They are not counts of unique consumer products or illness cases.
These are not all food recalls in the United States. The annual FSIS summaries cover USDA-regulated meat, poultry, egg, and related products. They do not represent every FDA-regulated food recall. The measurement period is the calendar year named in each FSIS summary.
Recall risk classes
FSIS groups recalls by risk class. Class I is the highest FSIS risk class, Class II is lower risk, and Class III is marginal risk. The class describes the potential health risk associated with the recalled product; it does not describe the number of pounds alone.
In 2021, Class I recalls numbered 38 and involved 14,486,371 pounds. Class II recalls numbered 9 and involved 1,014,902 pounds. Class III recalls numbered 0 and involved 0 pounds. The 2021 class figures are reported in the FSIS Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2021.
The 2022 summary recorded 40 Class I recalls involving 1,745,985 pounds. It recorded 5 Class II recalls involving 23,571 pounds and 0 Class III recalls involving 0 pounds. In 2023, Class I recalls numbered 58 and involved 3,943,580 pounds. Class II recalls numbered 7 and involved 61,804 pounds, while Class III recalls again numbered 0 and involved 0 pounds. Those figures are reported in the 2022 FSIS summary and 2023 FSIS summary.
Across all three years, the reported recalls were concentrated in Class I and Class II. The summaries list no Class III cases for 2021, 2022, or 2023. The large difference between 2021’s Class I pounds and 2022’s Class I pounds illustrates why recall counts and recalled quantities should be read together.
Why products were recalled in 2021
The 2021 FSIS summary lists several distinct recall reasons. Extraneous-material recalls numbered 9 and covered 984,554 pounds. Import-violation recalls also numbered 9 and covered 491,928 pounds. Listeria monocytogenes recalls numbered 5 and covered 11,281,291 pounds, making that category the largest by reported quantity in the 2021 reason data.
Salmonella recalls numbered 4 and covered 1,119,074 pounds. STEC recalls numbered 2 and covered 300,096 pounds. Recalls for production without inspection numbered 5 and covered 65,615 pounds. Undeclared-allergen recalls numbered 11 and covered 562,951 pounds. Bacillus cereus recalls numbered 1 and covered 10,990 pounds, while unapproved-substance recalls numbered 1 and covered 684,774 pounds.
The 2021 reason categories are not interchangeable measures of consumer harm. They describe the reason attached to FSIS recall cases and the quantity reported for those cases. The source is the Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2021.
Why products were recalled in 2022
The 2022 summary reports 9 extraneous-material recalls covering 477,158 pounds. Import-violation recalls numbered 3 and covered 16,006 pounds. Insanitary-condition recalls numbered 1 and covered 2,400 pounds, and mislabeling recalls numbered 1 and covered 5,795 pounds.
Among biological hazards, Listeria monocytogenes recalls numbered 6 and covered 94,180 pounds. STEC recalls numbered 3 and covered 153,158 pounds. The summary also reports 1 processing-deviation recall covering 585,030 pounds.
Production without inspection accounted for 10 recalls and 242,973 pounds in 2022. Undeclared-allergen recalls numbered 11 and covered 192,856 pounds. Thus, the largest count among the listed 2022 reasons was tied to undeclared allergens and production without inspection, at 11 and 10 cases respectively, while the largest reported quantity among those categories was associated with a processing deviation.
These observations describe the quantities and case counts in the Summary of Recall and PHA Cases in Calendar Year 2022. They should not be interpreted as illness totals.
Why products were recalled in 2023
In 2023, extraneous-material recalls numbered 10 and covered 393,708 pounds. Import-violation recalls numbered 16 and covered 399,031 pounds. Mislabeling recalls numbered 1 and covered 61,574 pounds. Listeria monocytogenes recalls numbered 5 and covered 78,708 pounds, while STEC recalls numbered 5 and covered 72,858 pounds.
Processing deviations accounted for 3 recalls and 2,660,154 pounds. That was the largest reported quantity among the 2023 reason categories in the FSIS summary. Recalls for production without inspection numbered 10 and covered 107,074 pounds. Undeclared-allergen recalls numbered 15 and covered 232,277 pounds.
The 2023 figures show that a reason can be frequent without involving the greatest quantity. Import violations had 16 cases, the highest count among the listed categories, while processing deviations had 3 cases but the largest reported quantity. The source for these measurements is the Summary of Recall and PHA Cases in Calendar Year 2023.
Meat and poultry species in 2021
The 2021 species entries show how recalled pounds were distributed across products identified by FSIS. Beef recalls numbered 13 and covered 1,481,326 pounds. Chicken recalls numbered 7 and covered 9,205,631 pounds. Mixed-species recalls numbered 14 and covered 3,410,769 pounds. In the FSIS terminology, Mixed combines more than one species.
Pork recalls numbered 9 and covered 1,291,905 pounds. Sheep recalls numbered 1 and covered 24,461 pounds. Siluriformes-Ictaluridae, or catfish, recalls numbered 1 and covered 46,804 pounds. Siluriformes-other recalls numbered 1 and covered 26,270 pounds. Turkey recalls numbered 1 and covered 14,107 pounds.
Chicken had the largest reported quantity among the named 2021 species entries, while mixed-species products had the highest number of recalls. These species figures are from the 2021 FSIS annual recall summary.
Meat and poultry species in 2023
The 2023 species data show a different distribution. Beef recalls numbered 16 and covered 275,967 pounds. Chicken recalls numbered 12 and covered 443,155 pounds. Mixed-species recalls numbered 15 and covered 2,754,625 pounds. Goat recalls numbered 1 and covered 196,019 pounds.
Sheep-and-lamb recalls numbered 1 and covered 39,947 pounds. Siluriformes-other recalls numbered 1 and covered 2,961 pounds. Swine recalls numbered 18 and covered 280,910 pounds. Turkey recalls numbered 1 and covered 11,800 pounds.
| Species entry | Recalls in 2023 | Pounds in 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 16 | 275,967 |
| Chicken | 12 | 443,155 |
| Mixed species | 15 | 2,754,625 |
| Swine | 18 | 280,910 |
| Goat | 1 | 196,019 |
| Sheep and lamb | 1 | 39,947 |
| Siluriformes-other | 1 | 2,961 |
| Turkey | 1 | 11,800 |
Swine had the highest number of 2023 species recalls in this list, at 18. Mixed-species products had the largest reported quantity, at 2,754,625 pounds. The 2023 species entries are reported in the FSIS annual recall summary.
When comparing 2021 and 2023 species data, labels should be kept distinct. The 2021 summary uses Pork and Sheep, while the 2023 summary includes Swine and Sheep-and-lamb. Mixed-species entries combine more than one species. These naming differences limit simple like-for-like comparisons, even though both sets are annual FSIS recall-case data.