From January through June, FSIS has announced 32 recalls. The focus on food safety for processors has been on E. coli O157:H7, yet there were just seven recalls related to that pathogen, totaling 527,136 pounds of meat. I don’t write that to say that E. coli is no longer a serious concern. Rather, there are many other issues that need to be monitored at all times, and no company can afford to forget about them.
There were eight recalls due to undeclared ingredients, such as wheat or sulfites, for more than a million pounds of food. To my non-processor mind, these recalls simply shouldn’t happen. There has to be something in a company’s HACCP plan that would cause staff to know exactly what product is being processed at the time, what’s in that product, and what label needs to be slapped on the package. Right? Then again, some of the companies that recalled products due to undeclared allergens include Pilgrim’s Pride and Sara Lee, so even the big corporations are struggling with this.