Food safety remains a pressing concern in the United States: the combination of vast food production networks and complex supply chains creates both opportunities and risks for contamination.

Recently, two notable incidents – a listeria outbreak involving ready-to-eat meat products and an outbreak of E. coli linked to McDonald’s – highlighted the need for consistent monitoring and stricter preventative measures in food safety.

In October 2024, the CDC reported a listeria outbreak related to prepackaged meat and chicken products distributed by BrucePac, an Oregon-based food manufacturing company.

The contaminated items, estimated at more than 160,000 pounds of meat, included precooked meats such as chicken breasts, turkey and pork, widely distributed to grocery stores, restaurants and food service providers.

Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria responsible, is particularly dangerous to vulnerable populations, including the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems. In severe cases, listeriosis can lead to invasive symptoms such as meningitis.

The recent outbreak has resulted in several hospitalizations and health officials have urged consumers to dispose of any remaining recalled products to avoid further exposure.

In a related case of food safety concern, an outbreak of E. coli was related to onions distributed by a supplier to McDonald’s and other food outlets in several states. THE FDA announced the outbreak in October 2024, noting that the contamination involved E. coli O157, a strain known to cause serious gastrointestinal illness.

To address recurring issues like these, the U.S. government has introduced and strengthened various food safety measures in recent years. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act…FSMA – is designed to allow FDA to focus on prevention rather than simply responding to contamination after it has occurred. It also strengthens the FDA’s authority to conduct inspections, impose recalls, and ensure compliance, with the goal of reducing the occurrence of foodborne illnesses in the United States.

However, even though regulations such as FSMA mandate safety plans and regular inspections, experts say their enforcement remains inconsistent at different levels of the supply chain.

The Trump administration also weighed in on food safety issues, calling for simplified regulations that he said could strengthen industry compliance. Yet some critics believed that efforts to reduce regulatory “burdens”” could have compromised some surveillance capabilities, potentially compromising food safety efforts.

News week reached out to food safety experts to better understand the current state of food safety in the United States.

Ken Lee, Ph.D., Ohio State University Academy Professor, Director of Food Innovation (Retired), Columbus, Ohio

Killer foods now claim more than 3,000 people every year in the United States alone. No one should die from unsafe food.

Consumers, scientists, regulators and the food industries we depend on all want the annual death toll from bad food to be zero. Today’s food news is gloomy, but the food system of tomorrow is promising: a series of innovations that no longer depend on temperature are emerging, such as high pressure, ozone, pulsed electricity, aseptic, plasma microwaves and electron beam.

Far too many food illnesses are attributed to poor preparation. Household or commercial appliances such as microwave ovens with food safety settings, refrigerators that identify questionable food, artificial intelligence that ensures good food, or online process validation for regulators with the power to stop before commercialization, could very well be part of our future.

The vast majority of the 1,300 pounds of food the average American consumes each year is completely safe. But about an ounce of that amount could be contaminated, with deadly consequences. Today’s generation of food innovators will finally end the threat of the one-ounce killer.

Marion Nestle, professor emeritus of nutrition, food studies and public health, NYU

The problem of food safety is not only due to regulations, but also to workplace culture. We have pretty good regulations in place. All foods, whether regulated by the USDA (meat and poultry) or the FDA (just about everything else, with a few exceptions), are supposed to be produced under carefully designed and executed protocols to reduce pathogens.

These plans must be followed diligently and production monitored to ensure they are. When plans are designed, followed and monitored properly, food should be safe. Problems arise from failures to follow these protocols, almost always due to a company failing to establish a food safety culture in which everyone who comes into contact with food – without exception – follows the protocols diligently and takes responsibility. responsibility to guard against breaches.

The culture of food safety should start at management and extend to lower-paid workers. When I read about outbreaks, I assume that the owners of the offending business take food safety far too casually; their typical statement, “the safety of our customers is our top priority,” does not reflect the company’s food safety culture at all. We know how to produce safe food; businesses simply have to do it.

Professor Keith Warriner, Food Safety, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Guelph

The North American food system is often cited as the safest in the world. The reason this title was given has to do with the centralized production and highly regulated nature of food production under the Safe Food Modernization Act and the Safe Food for Canadians Act .

Essentially, the regulations require all food processors to undertake a risk analysis and then put in place processes or procedures to control the hazards. The regulations also provide regulation for inspectors and auditors to determine whether a food processor is operating well or poorly.

So, the regulations and food safety management systems are in place, but what is missing in most cases is that the processing plant is not implementing the plan as written.

It’s analogous to a football team talking about one style of play in the locker room but then playing a completely different game. Additionally, inspectors may notice violations but not follow up to see if they have been corrected.

I believe this was evident during the Boar’s Head outbreak and the E. incident. coli at a Calgary daycare. The North American surveillance system is the best in the world, so when an outbreak occurs, it is detected relatively quickly. Therefore, as North America continually attempts to improve food safety, the weakest point lies in enforcement.

Nancy Cohen, PhD, FAND, professor emeritus, nutrition, University of Massachusetts Amherst

There are many reasons why a food may be recalled, including the presence of undeclared allergens, bacterial contamination, the presence of metal or other foreign matter, the presence of toxic minerals, or mislabeling.

All kinds of processed and raw foods – meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, beans – are recalled every year. Yet overall, the U.S. food supply is very safe. However, caution should always be exercised when processing and handling food.

The foods are wild grown and are not sterile. Bacteria can therefore grow and contaminate other foods if not handled correctly. Processed foods undergo many steps before reaching the consumer, and precautions must be taken at each step to avoid or control hazards. Food ingredients can be sourced from across the country or around the world, reinforcing the need for careful food handling throughout the production, processing, manufacturing and distribution chain.

Despite this expert knowledge and efforts to advance food safety practices, the recurrence of outbreaks indicates that much more needs to be done. Food safety in the United States requires not only strict regulations and advanced technologies, but also a collective culture of diligence and accountability across all sectors of the food supply chain.

Amarat Simonne, Professor of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Food security is complex and involves all sectors, from producers to consumers. According to the data, which is constantly evolving, even if food in the United States is safe, we still need to work to keep major foodborne illnesses at bay.