The surprising reason food recalls are getting worse

Key Points:

• The United States has experienced a record-breaking outbreak of foodborne illnesses this summer, with over 17,000 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis and multiple salmonella, listeria, and E. coli outbreaks linked to various produce items, including lettuce, eggs, jalapeños, blueberries, and alfalfa sprouts.
• Experts attribute the surge in foodborne illnesses to a combination of factors including a globalized food supply chain, climate change expanding the habitats of pathogens like cyclospora, and warmer, more humid conditions that favor bacterial growth.
• Government response has been hampered by significant staffing cuts at the FDA, CDC, and related agencies, reducing their capacity to monitor, investigate, and respond to outbreaks effectively, with some surveillance programs, including those for cyclospora, being shut down.
• The expansion of pathogens into new regions due to climate change suggests that foodborne illnesses like cyclosporiasis may become endemic in the U.S., posing long-term challenges to food safety and public health.
• Addressing these issues will require substantial investment and restructuring of food safety programs, as well as rebuilding federal public health infrastructure to better respond to emerging threats intensified by climate change.