Food Recall Statistics
( including 2007)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) coordinates and monitors food recalls only within Australia. In New Zealand, food recalls are co-ordinated by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA). In Australia, recalls occur as a result of consultation between State and Territory Health Authorities and a sponsor who is usually the product's manufacturer or the importer.
What is a food recall?
A food recall is defined as “an action taken to remove from sale, distribution and consumption foods which may pose an unacceptable safety risk to consumers”. A food recall may be initiated as a result of reports referred from a variety of sources - manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, medical practitioners, government agencies (for example, the police or a health authority) and consumers. Most recalls are precautionary in nature and initiated by the food companies as part of a national food safety strategy to ensure that potentially hazardous or unsafe foods do not end up in the food supply.
Recalls can be conducted at either the trade or consumer level. A trade recall involves recovery of the product from distribution centres and wholesalers and may also involve recovery of product from hospitals, restaurants and other major catering establishments, and outlets that sell food manufactured for immediate consumption or food that is prepared on the premises. A consumer recall is the most extensive type of recall. It involves recovery of the product from all points in the production and distribution networks/chains including from consumers. This includes any affected product in the possession of consumers.
How many food recalls?
FSANZ has been collecting recall data since 1990. From 1990 to July 2001, recalls were conducted at three distinct levels; wholesale, retail and consumer level recalls. In 2001, the food industry recall protocol was updated and wholesale and retail levels were merged to create a single trade level for recalls. Recalls are now distinguished as either a trade level or a consumer level recall.
Figure 1 : The Total Number of Food Recalls conducted each year from 1990 to 2007.
Figure 1 shows the total number of food recalls for each year since 1990. This includes recalls of imported food as well as food produced in Australia. Between 1990 and 1 May 1995, FSANZ did not distinguish the food recall data between imported and domestically produced food. However, between 1 May 1995 and 31 December 2004 there were a total of 532 recalls where 154 of these recalls (29%) were for imported food.
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. For example, recall statistics may provide useful baseline data to measure the effectiveness of the food safety reforms.Recall data can also be used as a mechanism to inform food businesses on those hazards most frequently occurring in the food industry so that they can take steps to prevent further occurrences through food safety programs.
Ensuring that businesses have a food safety program and are educated about how to apply these programs will help to reduce the incidence of food contamination reaching the marketplace rather than detecting it after the food has been released – thus keeping the number of food recalls to a minimum.
Trends observed in types of complaints resulting in a recall
The number of recalls vary from year to year and this variation is related to the foods available, and the vigilance of food companies and government health authorities in identifying food safety hazards.
Up until 1997 the data relating to the action that initiated a recall is unavailable.
Figure 2 : The Percentage of Food Recalls initiated by Company Testing, Government Testing and
Consumer Complaints for each Year from 1998 to 2007.
In 1998, 1999 and 2000, the majority of recalls originated from consumer complaints. In 2001 and 2002, the majority of recalls originated from government testing, followed closely by recalls initiated by consumer complaints. In 2003, the recalls, in the main, originated from Government testing, followed by those initiated by company testing. However 2004 has seen an increase in the number of recalls initiated by consumers to a total of 35 (50%) of all recalls for that year with 21 of those due to issues relating to labelling. There have been a small number of recalls where the origin of the recall was not provided to FSANZ. These recalls have been placed in the category of “other”.
Over the last seven years, the following trends can be observed:
- The percentage of recalls originating from company testing has remained steady from year to year.
- Prior to 2004 there was an increase in recalls as a result of Government testing.
- The percentage of recalls resulting from consumer complaints was decreasing between 1998 and 2003. Since 2004 there has been a rise in the number of consumer complaints due largely to labelling issues such as failing to include warnings of potential allergens.
15 Years of food recalls
Table 1 not only shows the total number of recalls but provides breakdown figures for the major causes of food recalls.
Between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2004, the majority of recalls notified to FSANZ were due to microbial and foreign matter contamination. From a total of 668 recalls received within this period, 233 recalls (34%) were due to microbial contamination and 144 (22%) recalls were due to foreign matter contamination. Chemical contamination contributed to 67 recalls (10%) and labelling errors accounted for 116 recalls (18%). The remaining 16% covers processing, product deterioration and other complaints.
Year | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Total |
Type |
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Microbiological | 7 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 28 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 26 | 15 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 265 |
Foreign Matter | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 172 |
Chemical | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 74 |
Labelling | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 40 | 34 | 23 | 23 | 13 | 162 |
Processing Faults / Product Deterioration | 7 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 80 |
Other | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 33 |
Total | 18 | 15 | 17 | 42 | 25 | 45 | 43 | 62 | 21 | 62 | 39 | 65 | 58 | 86 | 60 | 70 | 67 | 54 | 786 |
Table 1 : The Number and Cause of Food Recalls from 1990 to 2006
Since December 2002, when mandatory-warning statements on labels for food allergens was introduced, we have seen the major cause of recalls shift from microbial contaminants to food labelling. In 2004, labelling problems continued to be the main cause of food recalls. Of the 34 labelling related recalls, 33 (49% of total recalls) resulted from companies failing to include on the label a warning statement of potential allergens.
Recalls from microbial contamination
Microbial contamination accounted for 34% of all food recalls notified to FSANZ between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2004. Out of 233 recalls, 96 (41%) were due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination; 44 recalls (19%) were due to Salmonella contamination and 35 recalls (13%) were from Escherichia coli contamination. 58 recalls (25%) were attributed to contamination by yeasts, coliforms, Standard Plate Count (SPC), viral contamination or by other organisms not specified by the company. Figure 3 shows the annual number of recalls due to the three major microbial contaminants, as mentioned above.
Figure 3: Number of food recalls due to L. monocytogenes, Salmonella and E. coli contamination per year from 1990 to 2007.
Recalls caused by foreign matter
Foreign matter contamination is the second largest cause of recalls that are notified to FSANZ. For the period, 1 January 1990 to 31 December 2004, foreign matter contamination was responsible for 144 (22%) of all recalls notified. The main types of foreign matter contamination were metal, glass and plastic. Metal contamination accounted for 56 recalls (49%) of foreign matter recalls. While glass contamination accounted for 36 recalls (26%). Plastic contamination was responsible for 17 recalls (14%). The remaining 11% includes contamination from rubber, animal / insect contamination and plant matter. Figure 4 shows the annual number of recalls due to the three most common foreign matter contaminants of food.
Figure 4: Number of food recalls due to metal, glass and plastic contamination per year from 1990 to 2007.