Over the past few months, food recall alerts have become commonplace. This week, Treehouse Foods Inc. announced that it is voluntarily recalling more than 600 varieties of frozen waffles – which were sold under various brands including Gather & Good, Kodiak Cakes and Great Value – due to the possibility of listeria contamination.

Then last week, an ongoing listeria recall has been reissued to include nearly 2 million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry that may be contaminated, bringing the recall to a total of nearly 12 million pounds of product. As Salon reported, the recalled foods, produced by Oklahoma-based company BrucePac, were sold at major retailers nationwide, including Trader Joe’s, Walmart, AldiTarget, HEB, Giant Eagle and Kroger.

Amid the recall alert, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also clarified that some of the potentially contaminated products had been distributed to schools across the country.

This series of alarming food recalls has left many parents grappling with a growing sense of unease. Each notification is a stark reminder that the meals they prepare for their children – once deemed safe – can suddenly become potential sources of danger, just like school breakfasts and lunches. While food safety experts emphasize that the recall system operates primarily as a precaution, with only a small fraction of recalled products causing illness, the reality is that parents often bear the emotional toll of these alerts.

However, health and legal experts say parents can also take steps to feel more in control of their family’s food security.

Amie Alexander, a dietitian at Nutri Peak, said above all, consumers shouldn’t feel like they have to panic every time news of a recall hits the headlines.

“It’s overwhelming to think that something as simple as the food you prepare for your children, something you expect to be safe and healthy, could make them sick,” Alexander said. “However, although serious, it is important to remember that the recall system exists as a precautionary measure for consumers.”

For example, it made headlines when in June it was reported that the Food and Drug Administration had already “removed from the market more than 100 food and beverage products found to be in ‘violation’ of the agency’s regulations.” .

This seems like an impressive number of recalls, but according to data reviewed by NewsweekAmong the 108 food and beverage products recalled by the FDA from January to May, only eight caused “harm or illness to at least one consumer.”

During the same period last year, eight food and drink products, but only 98 recalled, were linked to illness or negative effects.

Alexander continued: “Often, potential dangers are detected long before a person becomes ill. »

That said, for busy parents, just having to monitor the USDA and FDA for recall alerts can start to seem daunting. After all, there’s already a lot of invisible work involved in feeding a family, from the juggling of planning meals to meet different tastes and needs to grocery shopping. Statistics also show that these tasks fall mainly on mothers.

According to a 2019 Time Use Survey sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in households with both women and men as heads of household and one or more children under the age of 18, “80% of mothers report that they are the household members who usually prepare meals “.

That’s the same as the share of those who report being the primary grocery buyer, according to a Pew Research Center Analysis.

“For mothers in particular, it’s more of an emotional labor that we have to take on, because the vast majority of us – not me, though – are ‘food people,'” said Marguerite Quinlanresearcher at the University of North Carolina who studies the intersection between parenting and health. “We keep track of what we don’t have, go grocery shopping, follow kids’ tastes and safe foods, etc.”

According to Quinlan, children, especially those with pre-existing health conditions that result in school absences, may face district-level disciplinary action if they get sick from food items — another stress that parents don’t need.

“In my research partner’s children’s school, they can lose their attraction if they are absent too much. My children could be held back if they miss too much school,” she explained. “Parents don’t have to worry about dealing with other bureaucracies because companies don’t bother to follow the rules. They can afford to pay to make the problem go away, but parents may have to do more to fix it.

Quinlan continued: “It’s stressful and I feel like a Victorian before food regulations and inspections. »

Sylvia Smith, relationship and parenting expert at Marriage.com, echoed Quinlan’s sentiments.

“With each notification of another recall – whether it be contaminated prepackaged lunches or potentially unsafe foods on the cafeteria menu – your alarm skyrockets,” Smith wrote via email. “Food safety is one of those things that, as a parent, you just can’t compromise on; and when reminders occur, you sometimes feel like the situation is beyond your control.

The key, she said, is to try to balance vigilance with a pragmatic approach.

“Recalls are usually issued as a precaution, meaning there is a good chance the food in question has not harmed anyone,” Smith said. “I think it’s important for parents to stay informed about potential risks by keeping an eye out for official recall alerts from agencies like the FDA or USDA. The solution is to introduce a food safety system into your home, such as checking product codes or batch numbers regularly, which will help you manage stress and not get overwhelmed.

For parents who are still fatigued by the news of another recall, Smith said it may be time to rethink their approach to purchasing certain groceries.

“From a practical standpoint, you can limit your reliance on highly processed foods that are more likely to be included in a widespread recall,” Smith said. “I also encourage you to get to know local vendors or farmers who can help you feel more secure about the food you serve.”

This is sound advice, but Quinlan points out that some of it may not be realistic for all families, especially in the short term. “Parents who send their children to eat processed foods need to use their judgment, but I have a picky eaterand if its safe foods are not safe, that’s a problem for our family,” she said.

On a broader scale, many parents’ concerns over the recent rise in recalls stem from a feeling of powerlessness when it comes to holding companies accountable, especially repeat offenders. But Oliver Morrisey, owner and director of Empower Wills & Estate Lawyers, believes parents actually have more power in these situations than they think.

“Let’s talk about class action lawsuits for a moment,” Morissey wrote via email. “If you see repeated recalls from the same company or supplier, it is worth investigating whether there has been negligence. Parents can come together to file a class action lawsuit, which is a way to hold these companies accountable on a larger scale.

According to Morissey, the idea is that if enough people act together, it will not only offset the damage already caused by recalled foods, but also force companies to improve their safety measures.

“It’s not just about reacting to recalls,” he continued. “This is about preventing future breaches by making it clear that these breaches are not acceptable. This type of class legal action is incredibly powerful and often pushes businesses to resolve issues they might otherwise ignore.

Parents can also advocate for stricter control of food provided to schools and other institutions serving children. They can campaign for mandatory and more frequent food inspections, as well as push for tougher penalties for businesses that fail to meet safety standards.

“This does not necessarily have to be done individually,” Morissey wrote. “You can work with other parents and legal experts to make your case to local governments or school boards. The aim here is to ensure that safety measures are strengthened across the board so that these recalls do not become so regular.”