A Reminder on Food Recalls and Food Safety

We expect food to be safe when making purchases at grocery stores and dining in restaurants. In fact, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey found that approximately 70 percent of consumers are somewhat or very confident in the safety of our food supply. However, we sometimes face that all-too-familiar yet oddly puzzling term, “food recall,” in the media. Many of us may wonder, “How could this happen?” or “Why isn’t my food safe?” But a food recall doesn’t mean we should lack trust in the safety of our food system. Let’s take a closer look at what a recall is and what to do when our food is recalled. Spoiler alert: The answer is not to panic! What is a food recall? A food recall is the removal of a food product from the marketplace due to a potential hazard in that product. These hazards might include contamination by a bacteria like Salmonella or Listeria; the presence of a physical contaminant like broken glass or metal; or improper labeling of a common allergen as an ingredient. Ben Chapman,PhD, a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University, spoke with the IFIC Foundation and notes that the most common type of recall is this third type: mislabeling, which generally is not an issue for consumers without food allergies. Bacterial contamination is the next most common cause of recalls. However, Dr. Chapman points out that bacteria-based recalls are not necessarily the result of increased contamination; instead they’re a reflection of better food production. “The more we look for Listeria, the more we’re going to find it,” Chapman says. That is, improvements in detection methods and technology in food manufacturing have been able to detect harmful bacteria sooner, often before too many (if any) […]

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Lead Fast Facts

Putting Lead In Food Into Perspective: What You Need To Know  The presence of heavy metals in food is not new. Lead, like most heavy metals, is naturally occurring and can be detected at trace levels in food. Heavy metals are found in soil, water, and air; they are not added to food. While lead may be detected in some plant-based foods, exposure remains extremely low. Still, overexposure to lead can cause adverse health effects.    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and global regulators set safety limits for lead and other heavy metals in food and water. U.S. initiatives like FDA’s Closer To Zero program are actively working to reduce exposure to lead for all ages.    To further reduce exposure to lead and other heavy metals through food as well as promote good health and nutrition, consumers should continue to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods across and within the main food groups of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and proteins.   What Is Lead?  Lead is a naturally occurring metal found in the Earth’s crust. Its industrial uses have made lead widespread in air, soil, water, and older homes.  How Are Consumers Exposed To Lead?  Historically, lead was widely used in products like gasoline, paint, plumbing, ceramics, batteries, and cosmetics. Over time, U.S. regulations, including a lead paint ban in 1978 and the elimination of leaded gas in 1996, significantly reduced its use. However, exposure persists today through various sources. While lead production facilities were once common, there are very few in the U.S. today. Lead dust remains a common issue in older homes with lead-based paint. As the paint chips or deteriorates, it creates airborne dust that can be inhaled or ingested. Soil contamination, another significant source, results from past use of leaded gasoline and industrial emissions, with lead […]

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Food Allergens

Food allergens affect millions of individuals and families every day. Whether you're helping consumers understand allergen labeling or answering questions about the major food allergens, this toolkit provides clear, science-based resources. Use it to stay informed, share accurate information and help manage food allergies with greater confidence.

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Whole Grains Fact Sheet

Download the Whole Grains Fact Sheet here Grains have been known as the “staff of life” for thousands of years, serving as a vital food source for humans. Today, foods made with whole grains are recognized as important sources of nutrients like fiber, trace minerals, and certain vitamins and phytochemicals that are not restored through traditional grain enrichment and fortification practices. These components are believed to play a key role in reducing risk of disease. Research shows that healthful diets rich in whole grain foods may play a part in reducing risks of heart disease, certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes. They may also help in managing body weight.¹ Whole grains are composed of three plant components: the bran, the germ and the endosperm. In the last century, advances in the milling and processing of grains have allowed for the large–scale separation and removal of the bran and germ, resulting in refined flour that consists only of the endosperm. Refined flour has become popular because it produces baked goods with a softer texture and extended freshness. However, removing much of the bran and germ results in losses of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals, protein, unsaturated fat and about 75 percent of phytochemicals, which are substances in plant-based foods with physiologically active components that may have functional health benefits. To correct for some of these losses, the process of enrichment began in the early 1940s to restore some B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin and niacin) and the mineral iron to flour.² Since 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required enriched grain products to also be fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, to help women of childbearing age reduce the risk of having a pregnancy affected with a neural tube […]

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What You Should Know About Approved Food Additives

Download the Food Additives Fact Sheet here What are food additives? A food additive is an ingredient added to a food to perform a specific function. Additives include substances that are added directly to foods and beverages (known as direct food additives), as well as those that become a part of food in trace amounts due to processing, packaging, shipping or storage (known as indirect food additives). In the U.S., food additives are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are listed in the ingredient list on a product’s label. The Functions of Food Additives Why are food additives used? Food additives provide a specific function in a wide variety of foods—in particular, in maintaining or improving their safety, freshness, taste, texture, appearance or nutritional value. Below are some more specific reasons for why food additives are used: To maintain or improve safety and freshness Food additives known as preservatives slow product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi or yeast. In addition to maintaining the quality of the food, they help control contamination that can cause foodborne illness, including life-threatening botulism. One group of preservatives—antioxidants—prevents fats, oils and the foods containing them from becoming rancid or developing an off flavor. They also prevent cut fresh fruits such as apple slices from turning brown when exposed to air. To improve or maintain nutritional value Vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber are added to many foods to make up for cases in which those nutrients are lacking in a person’s diet or in which they are lost in food processing, or to otherwise enhance the nutritional quality of a food. Such fortification and enrichment have helped prevent and reduce malnutrition in the U.S. and many other countries worldwide. All products containing added nutrients must be appropriately labeled. To improve […]

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Safety & Survival: The High Stakes of Food Allergen Labeling Literacy

Food, health, and safety are basic human needs, and food labels play a pivotal role in helping consumers meet them – from navigating chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes to avoiding life-threatening food allergens. Given its widespread applicability, food labeling has long been a hot topic—since the Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) first appeared on food packages in 1994 up until now, and perhaps, now more than ever. A flurry of new rules has set the stage for helping product labels be more effective in providing consistent information and enabling consumers to make informed and nutritious choices. Some of the first changes to the NFP began with the inclusion of trans fat in 2006, followed by the inclusion of added sugars and a greater emphasis on calories more than a decade later. In recent years, such rules include the FDA addition of sesame as the 9th allergen, final rule on updating the “healthy” nutrient content claim, and a proposed rule on mandatory front-of-pack labeling, as well as the USDA’s potential reform of “date labeling” to provide more clarity and to reduce food waste. Who’s Walking Through The Door? There’s a saying: you can open the door, but you cannot make someone walk through it. Many health conditions faced by Americans can be improved by better and informed food choices. Yet awareness alone is not enough. Action starts with information, but is affected by a complex set of personal, social, and situational factors. That said, interest in new ways of eating is increasingly popular. In the IFIC Food & Health Survey, 54% of respondents said they tried a specific eating pattern in the past year. Only 38% claimed to do this in 2019. Among those who tried a new eating pattern in the last year, more than four in 10 said they were motivated by a desire to […]

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When Is the Best Time To Introduce Potential Allergenic Foods to Your Infant?

The possibility of an allergic reaction after eating gives many Americans pause when making food choices. No one wants to worry that a bite into a savory sandwich or decadent dessert will cost them a swollen lip—or worse, a trip to the E.R. As adults, we have more control when it comes to the foods we are exposed to, but what about children? Or better yet, infants? When should we introduce potentially allergenic foods to our babies? According to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), food allergies among kids have increased over the last couple of decades. Faced with uncertainty, many parents avoid feeding their babies certain foods in the hope of preventing a potential allergic reaction. But is such avoidance helpful in the long run? Food allergies are a public health concern The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognizes nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, sesame and soybeans. Allergic reactions can vary from person to person and may also result from foods not included in the “Big Nine.” If you are allergic to an allergenic food, eating that food activates your immune system, causing your body to think the food is an “invader.” When your immune system is unnecessarily activated, many parts of the body—including your gut and other organs and tissues—can be affected. Sometimes, one allergic reaction can make you more sensitive to other allergens. Food allergies are serious, and they can be life-threatening, especially for infants, who cannot tell you when something feels wrong. Currently, one in 13 children in the U.S. has food allergies. Food allergy rates have steadily increased over the past couple decades, presenting a major concern for parents, health care workers and public health professionals alike. To help families identify potential allergens, legislation (like FALCPA) has been passed, […]

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Food Safety

What are the best practices for safe food handling? What is foodborne illness, and how can it be prevented? The IFIC Food Safety Toolkit offers practical, science-based resources to help answer common questions about food safety. From understanding the regulations that protect our food supply to making sense of food labels and proper storage, this toolkit helps build knowledge and support everyday conversations about food safety.

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