Food Recall Statistics
Why do we collect food recall data?
Data collected on food recalls can be used to identify common trends and problems occurring in the food industry. It can inform both government and industry on those hazards most frequently occurring in the food industry so that steps can be taken to prevent further occurrences.
Classification of food recalls
Food recalls are classified by FSANZ under the following categories: Microbial; Labelling; Foreign matter; Chemical/Contaminant; Biotoxin; Tampering, Packaging fault and ‘Other’.
Microbial recalls occur as a result of contamination with various pathogens, most commonly but not limited to, Listeria and Salmonella, or high levels of hygiene indicators such as Escherichia coli. Recalls under this classification may pose a high safety risk for consumers depending on the pathogen implicated, particularly for pregnant women and their babies, young children, the elderly and immuno-compromised individuals .
Recalls which occur under the labelling classification take place as a result of non-compliant labelling, incorrect or omitted food ingredients on the ingredient listings, incorrect date markings and other food labelling errors which may result in a risk to the public.
Foreign matter contamination occurs when material is unexpectedly present in the final product, where its presence is likely to pose an injury risk to consumer safety. This may include glass, metal and plastic objects which are present as a result of a processing fault.
Chemical/contaminant recalls include substances unexpectedly found in foods where their presence is likely to pose a risk to consumer safety. This includes cleaning products, naturally occurring metals, such as lead, and other substances where their presence in food in low concentrations may not pose a safety concern, however at elevated levels would cause the consumer health concerns.
Biotoxin recalls occur as a result of the presence of various biotoxins, for example histamine in seafood products. The presence of histamine occurs when temperature abuse of the food product (fish) causes bacterial activity resulting in presence of the biotoxin. Recalls under this classification generally pose a high safety risk for consumers.
Recalls can occur following reports of tampering, where a company undertakes a recall of the associated product to ensure the health and safety of the public.
A packaging fault recall is undertaken when a fault in the packaging integrity results in a safety risk to consumers. A packaging fault can often result in metal, glass, plastic and other materials being present in the food product. The presence of foreign matter in food products may pose an injury risk if the product is consumed. A reduction in the packaging integrity of a food product may also result in the product posing a potential choking hazard, in this instance the food product may also be recalled.
The ‘other’ recall classification is where a product is being recalled due to a reason which does not fall into the classifications listed above. An example is the recall of Bonsoy Soy Milk in December 2009 where the presence of excessive levels of iodine resulted in consumers exceeding the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for that nutrient during normal consumption, resulting in thyroid problems.
10 Years of Food Recalls
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010, FSANZ was notified of 711 food recalls. The number of food recalls undertaken per year has remained relatively constant over the past 10 years with the exception of 2003. Figure 1 shows the number of recalls during this period.
Figure 1 : Number of recalls notified to FSANZ each year from 1 January 2000 until 31 December 2010
Table 1 shows the number of recalls each year over the past 10 years, from January 2000, and provides breakdown figures for each classification of food recall.
Recall classification | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
Microbial contamination | 18 | 26 | 30 | 35 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 17 | 32 | 16 |
Labelling | 4 | 10 | 10 | 47 | 35 | 20 | 22 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 14 |
Foreign matter | 14 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 9 |
Chemical/contaminant | 2 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 10 |
Other | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Biotoxin | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Tampering | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Packaging fault | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Total | 49 | 67 | 65 | 105 | 70 | 64 | 67 | 55 | 54 | 60 | 55 |
Table 1: The number of food recalls coordinated by FSANZ, by year and classification, from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2010
Over the past 10 years, the majority of food recalls coordinated by FSANZ were due to potential microbial contamination followed by non-compliant food labelling (under the Food Standards Code) (see Figure 2).
Of the 711 recalls coordinated from 2000 until 31 December 2010, 260 (36%) were due to microbial contamination and 206 (29%) were due to labelling errors. The presence of foreign matter resulted in 125 (18%) recalls, while chemicals/contaminants resulted in 62 recalls (9% of the total over the period). The remaining 8% occurred as a result of biotoxin presence (including histamine in fish), tampering, packaging fault or ‘other’ classifications.
Figure 2 shows the trends in recall classification categories over the past 10 years.
Figure 2: Number of food recalls coordinated by FSANZ, shown by recall classification, between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010.
Between January 2003 and December 2006, the main classification for food recalls coordinated by FSANZ shifted from microbial contaminants to non-compliant labelling (figure 2). This shift coincided with the introduction of mandatory declaration of food allergens on labels. Of the 124 labelling related recalls during this period, 113 (37% of the total number of food recalls during this period) resulted from companies failing to declare one or more allergen on the label. Since 2007, the main classification for food recalls has returned to being microbial contamination. Over the past 10 years biotoxin, tampering and packaging faults are consistently the least common reasons for initiating a food recall.
Recalls occurring as a result of microbial contamination
Microbial contamination accounted for 36% of all food recalls notified to FSANZ between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010. Figure 3 shows the breakdown of recalls within this time period based on the microbial contaminant identified.
Figure 3: Food recalls associated with each aetiological agent for all microbial recalls from 1 January 2000 – 31 December 2010
Figure 4 shows the number of recalls associated with the top three pathogens, as a percentage of all microbial recalls for the past 10 years.
Figure 4: Food recalls associated with the top three pathogens as a proportion of all microbial recalls over the period 1 January 2000 – 31 December 2010
Of the 260 recalls undertaken as a result of microbial contamination during the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2010, 125 (48%) recalls were due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination; 50 (19%) were due to Salmonella contamination and 32 (12%) were as a result of high levels of Escherichia coli. The remaining 21% of recalls were attributed to contamination by yeasts, coliforms, high Standard Plate Count (SPC), viral contamination (Hepatitis A and Noroviruses) or other organisms not specified.
The high percentage of food recalls as a result of Listeria monocytogenes contamination is likely to be a reflection of the amount of testing conducted by industry for this pathogen to ensure compliance with Standard 1.6.1 – Microbiological Limits for Food, in the Food Standards Code. Certain high risk foods such as soft cheeses, smoked fish products, cooked, cured or salted meats, meat paste and pate must have no detectable Listeria present.
Listeria does not cause serious illness in healthy people; however it can cause severe illness in pregnant women and their babies, young children, the elderly and immuno-compromised individuals. For more information please see the fact sheet available at: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/scienceandeducation/factsheets/factsheets2005/listeriacommonlyaske3115.cfm
Recalls resulting from labelling errors or non compliant labelling
Labelling is the second most common reason for food being recalled. In the last ten years, 29% of all recalls coordinated by FSANZ have been due to non-compliant labelling. Figure 5 shows the cause for all labelling associated recalls from 1 January 2000 – 31 December 2010.
Figure 5: Food recalls associated with type of non compliant labelling for all labelling recalls from 1 January 2000 – 31 December 2010
The main reason for which food labels were non-compliant was undeclared allergens including nuts, dairy, egg, soy, wheat and others (accounting for 90% of labelling recalls during this period) (Figure 5).
Figure 6 provides a percentage breakdown for the top three causes for all labelling recalls.
Figure 6: Food recalls associated with the top three types of non compliant labelling as a proportion of all labelling recalls over the period 1 January 2000 – 31 December 2010
Undeclared nuts accounted for 63 (31%)* of labelling recalls, while undeclared dairy and undeclared wheat/gluten accounted for 51 recalls (25%)* and 39 (19%)* recalls respectively. Undeclared egg, soy and seafood accounted for 46 recalls collectively. Incorrect labelling was responsible for 7 recalls (3%), with the remaining recalls resulting from causes such as presence of sulphur dioxide, incorrect cooking instructions and incorrect use by date (10% of labelling recalls during this period).
*As some recalls were due to more than one undeclared allergen the percentages for undeclared allergen recalls do not equal 100.
Food Types associated with food recalls
The most common food classes associated with food recalls include processed food, meat (including poultry) and dairy products. Of the 711 food recalls conducted between 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2010, 163 were associated with processed foods such as dips and sauces, snack foods, tofu and baby food, with a further 111 recalls associated with meat and meat products, including poultry. Of the total recalls during this period, 38% comprised of these two food classes. Dairy products were the third most common food class associated with food recalls with a total of 93 recalls of dairy products over the past 10 years.
Figure 7 provides a breakdown of recalls from 1 January 2000 until 31 December 2010 by food class.
Figure 7:Number of recalls by food class from 1 January 2000 – 31 December 2010
Food recalls occur as the result of a number of factors including processing and packaging faults, incorrect handling of food products and contamination by microbiological pathogens, chemicals and foreign matter.
Figure 8 shows the number of recalls undertaken for the top three food classes and correlating etiological agent responsible for microbial recalls (the class associated with the highest number of recalls) over the period 1 January 2000 until 31 December 2010.
Figure 8: Number of microbial classified recalls for the top three food classes by aetiological agent from 1 January 2000 - 31 December 2010
Microbial contamination is the most common classification for food recalls over the past 10 years (Figure 2). Of the 260 recalls for microbial contamination during this period, meat, dairy and processed food products were the top three food classes for which these recalls were undertaken. Listeria monocytogenes is the most common aetiological agent responsible for microbial contamination in each of the top three food classes (Figure 8). The second most common aetiological agent is Salmonella for meat and processed food classes and E.coli for dairy. The ‘other’ classification includes yeasts, coliforms, unsatisfactory Standard Plate Count results, viral contamination or other organisms.
Processed foods and meats are recalled due to Listeria contamination more frequently than other foods due to the importance the food industry and government place on ensuring this bacteria is not present in ready-to-eat foods and extensive testing of food products for this pathogen.
The Food Standards Code specifies limits for Listeria monocytogenes in certain foods, including cooked and/or cured meats. Foods that pose the most risk for Listeria infection are ready-to-eat foods that support the growth of Listeria such as meat and dairy products and are stored at refrigeration temperatures for long periods, thereby enabling Listeria to grow.
For more information on the microbiological limits in the Food Standards Code, please see the link here: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodstandards/foodstandardscode.cfm