Manufacturers recalled 37 million pounds 2026

Poynter reported on August 6 that manufacturers have recalled more than 37 million pounds of meat, poultry and egg products so far in 2026, citing U.S. Department of Agriculture data and linked recall notices. The article said that total already exceeds the average annual recall volume of about 23.2 million pounds recorded from 2015 through 2025. (poynter.org) Poynter said the recent run of recall headlines has fueled public concern, but food-safety experts it interviewed said it is difficult to determine in real time whether the food supply is becoming less safe. Steven Mandernach, executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, told Poynter that the U.S. food supply is “among the safest in the world” and said, “I see nothing that has changed.” Poynter also reported that several experts expect cuts to federal, state and local public-health entities to weaken food-safety protections over time, while saying the short-term effects are less clear. (fsis.usda.gov) ### Where does the 37 million-pound figure come from? Poynter said the figure comes from recall data for meat, poultry and egg products reported by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the agency that posts recall notices and public health alerts for those categories. (poynter.org) FSIS maintains a recalls page and a separate alerts page that lists active notices, affected products and distribution details. The USDA and FDA split oversight of food recalls by product type. FSIS says consumers looking for information on foods other than meat, poultry and egg products should use the FDA’s recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts page. (poynter.org) ### Does a larger recall total automatically mean food is less safe? Poynter reported that the answer is not straightforward because recall totals can rise for several reasons, including broader distribution, improved testing, better traceability or faster detection. The article said the data do not, by themselves, prove that food safety is rapidly declining. (poynter.org) Poynter also pointed to a separate 2026 food-safety concern involving cyclosporiasis cases, while noting that those illness reports do not by themselves establish a broad collapse in food safety. In that article, Poynter said the evidence and official guidance were still evolving. (ask.fsis.usda.gov) ### What recent recalls help explain the scale? The FDA said on July 22 that Midwest Poultry Services, L.P. recalled 1,589,577 dozen white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs produced in Texas because of possible Salmonella Enteritidis contamination. The CDC said the recalled eggs were distributed to retail and foodservice customers in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana and sold under multiple brand names, including Kroger, Simple Truth, Brookshire’s, Cal-Maine and Country Morning. (poynter.org 1) (poynter.org 2) FSIS said on April 30 that it issued a public health alert for various meat and poultry products containing FDA-regulated dairy ingredients that may be contaminated with Salmonella. The agency said it expected additional downstream products to be identified as that ingredient recall progressed. ### How should consumers read recall numbers and alerts? FSIS says recall notices and public health alerts identify the company, product description, production dates, establishment numbers and the states where products were shipped. (fda.gov) FDA outbreak and recall pages similarly list affected brands, packaging details and date codes. The FDA said consumers should not eat, sell or serve the shell eggs covered by the July 2026 Salmonella investigation, and the CDC published carton codes, sell-by dates and state distribution details to help shoppers identify affected products. (fsis.usda.gov) ### Where can people check what happens next? The USDA’s FSIS recalls page and active alerts page continue to post new meat, poultry and egg notices as they are issued, while the FDA’s recall and outbreak pages track products outside USDA’s jurisdiction. Poynter’s August 6 article also linked individual recall alerts for the products included in its 2026 tally. (fsis.usda.gov) (poynter.org) (fda.gov)