McDonald's and Boar's Head outbreaks may have you worried. Experts say the food supply is safe

WASHINGTON — From Boar's Head deli meat and waffles to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, this year's illness outbreaks — some deadly — and food recalls may have Americans wondering whether there are new risks in the U.S. food supply.

But experts say it's business as usual when it comes to the complicated task of keeping food safe.

The U.S. ranks near the top for food safety out of 113 countries included in the Global Food Security Index, which measures aspects of food availability and quality, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

“The U.S. food supply remains one of the safest in the world,” FDA officials said in a statement.

People might be alarmed at the “number of really high-profile recalls that affect a lot of people,” said Teresa Murray, who directs the consumer watchdog office for the consumer-interest advocacy group PIRG.

“These are products that people eat on a regular basis," she said.

On average, the two federal agencies that oversee the U.S. food supply — the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture — announce more than 300 food recalls and alerts each year. The FDA regulates about 80% of foods, including dairy products, fruit and vegetables, while the USDA regulates meat and poultry, among other foods.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention annually tracks about 800 foodborne illness outbreaks, in which two or more people are sickened by the same food or drink. Most of the estimated 48 million cases of food poisoning each year are not related to confirmed outbreaks, the agency said.

The pace of food recalls and alerts appears to be brisk this year, with more than 300 logged already as of mid-October. But recalls are different than illness outbreaks, which are increasingly detected by sophisticated genetic sequencing, said Donald Schaffner, a food science expert at Rutgers University.

“I don't think the food supply is getting less safe,” Schaffner said. “I think we're stuck in place. We're not getting any better.”

Federal data shows the U.S. has made little progress toward reducing rates of foodborne illness as called for in Healthy People 2030, an effort to boost population-level health and well-being.

The nation has budged only slightly since 2016-2018 in reducing infections caused by salmonella and listeria — the latter being the germ behind the deadly Boar's Head outbreak, in which at least 10 people died and nearly 50 were hospitalized.

“People should be reminded that food safety is a serious public health issue. All food carries risk” said Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University. “We need to remember that most of our food comes from the ground or from animals.”

The landmark Food Safety Modernization Act, enacted in 2011, gave the FDA new authority to regulate the way foods are grown, harvested and processed. Under a rule finalized in 2022, which takes effect in 2026, suppliers will be required to keep records to trace fresh produce like the onions in the McDonald's outbreak back to the source.

Such efforts alone can't guarantee safety, Kowalcyk said. Testing, inspections, training and education can all reduce the chances that food becomes contaminated and potentially causes illnesses.

“In food safety, no mitigation or risk strategy is perfect,” she said. “You build in hurdles across the system and with the combination of the hurdles, you will catch the problem.”

Limited funding for public health agencies may erode those efforts, Kowalcyk noted.

On a recent call with food safety advocates and reporters, FDA chief Dr. Robert Califf said funding for the agency's food safety duties has remained stagnant for years.

“It has kept up with the cost of living but nothing incrementally for three decades in an environment which is really complicated, if you look at the human food system,” Califf said.

People can cut their risk of foodborne illness by following safe handling practices, including avoiding cross-contamination of foods, proper storage and frequent handwashing and sanitizing surfaces and kitchen tools at home. Beyond that, they can put pressure on stores, restaurants and government officials to ensure food safety.

“You can reach out to your congressional representative and tell them food safety is important to you,” Kowalcyk said. “You can also contact food companies. If you see something, say something.”