I'm not really sure when eating turned into a game of Russian Roulette. Perhaps it was always dangerous and we've always taken our lives into our hands with each meal or snack or beverage we put in our mouths.
Or maybe this is a new phenomenon.
Maybe this is the beginning of the end of food as we know it.
But now it's nearly every day that headlines warn us about "voluntary" food recalls. Why would recalls be voluntary and what happens if the important people who grow and produce our food don't feel like recalling it? Surely the FDA and the USDA are here to watch out for us and keep us safe. Aren't they?
Aren't they?
It seems a lot of our food is now chock-full of dangerous microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxic plants), riddled with debris (glass, metal, plastic, dead animal parts), or not labeled with the correct ingredients and allergens (peanuts, eggs, milk, wheat, shellfish).
After reading through a list of recalled foods for the past month, it seems any one of these faux-pas are serious enough to kill. And I am starting to wonder if more people are dying from food-related issues than anyone knows. Or am I some kind of alarmist who's watched too much TV or read too many dystopian stories. (Was Soylent Green a true story?)
Anyway, here is the list and I think it would be wise for all of us to keep track of this daily. Forever.
5/1/24 - Ground Pork. Pieces of metal.
5/2/24 - Ground Beef. E. Coli.
5/2/24 - Raw Pork Chorizo. Plastic and metal pieces.
5/3/24 - Crispy Fried Onions. Staphylococcus Aureus concerns.
5/3/24 - Planters Peanuts. Listeria.
5/7/24 - Buckwheat Flour. Risk of Datura contamination.
5/7/24 - Apple Juice. Elevated levels of Arsenic.
5/7/24 - Cream Cheese. Potential Salmonella.
5/10/24 - Red Kidney Beans. Swollen and leaking cans.
5/12/24 - Sliced bread. Rat remains found inside bread packages.
5/13/24 - Yogurt covered Pretzels. Salmonella.
5/13/24 - Riced Cauliflower. Listeria.
5/14/24 - Chia Seeds. Salmonella potential.
5/14/24 - Snack Chips. Salmonella.
5/16/24 - Canned Jalapeno Peppers. Pieces of glass.
5/19/24 - Candy Coated Snack Pretzels. Possible Salmonella.
5/21/24 - Crabmeat. Listeria.
5/22/24 - Herbal Supplement. Toxic Yellow Oleander.
5/23/24 - Crabmeat. Listeria. (again).
5/23/24 - Enoki Mushrooms. Possible Listeria.
5/24/24 - Frozen Oysters. Risk of Norovirus.
5/24/24 - Apricot Powder Products. Amygdalin, possible Cyanide.
5/28/24 - Bottled Water. Manganese and Bacteria.
5/30/24 - Broccoli Cheddar Breakfast Potato Bake. Possible Listeria. Recall started 5/9, ongoing.
5/31/24 - Infant Formula. Cronobacter contamination.
6/1/24 - Cucumbers. Salmonella.
6/3/24 - Baby Food. Listeria.
6/3/24 - Black Pepper. Salmonella.
6/5/24 - Cucumbers. Salmonella. (again).
6/6/24 - Cream Cheese. Salmonella.
6/7/24 - Cookie Dough. Salmonella concerns.
What. Is. Happening?
Sources:
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/sections/food-recalls/page/5/
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/
https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-recalls-what-you-need-know
