The Summer of Food Recalls

What’s actually happening with America’s food

It started with bagged salads. Then jalapenos, then eggs—and then blueberries, beef and popsicles were recalled. 

Enter recall summer. “At this point, just give us a list of what we can eat,” one consumer complained. Foods spanning every group of the pyramid keep getting pulled from shelves, with each alert seemingly bringing more gut-wrenching symptoms and annihilating more grocers.

Is something fundamentally wrong with America’s food supply right now? Not necessarily, but there is a very real increase in some foodborne illnesses, particularly Cyclospora. Well-documented changes to the nation’s food-safety surveillance system have further complicated the picture.

“This summer’s series of recalls and outbreaks are familiar territory where we find fresh produce and other ready to eat products making headlines,” says Lynette Johnston, an associate professor and food safety extension specialist at NC State. 

Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli are common culprits of foodborne illness, she notes. “The one real departure from what we typically see is Cyclospora, which isn’t a new or unusual pathogen, but there is a significant increase in the number of cases.”

The timing has also put federal food-safety policy under a microscope. In July 2025, the CDC reduced the number of pathogens its Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network is required to actively monitor from eight to two: Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. 

Cyclospora is among those no longer required to be monitored under the program. The change was attributed to funding constraints, although states can continue tracking those illnesses independently.

The FDA has also undergone budget and staffing reductions, while shifting some routine domestic inspection work toward state partners and directing federal resources toward higher-risk, complex and international inspections. But that doesn’t mean those changes caused this summer’s outbreaks.

“It is important to note that any cuts that have been made to the FDA/CDC have not been a direct cause of the increased number of recalls,” Johnston says.

Instead, several things may be happening simultaneously. “There are likely a combination of factors here: A genuinely large Cyclospora outbreak, the typical seasonal uptick in fresh produce-related illnesses that occur each summer, a leaner response system, and heightened media attention.”

Johnston’s takeaway: Approach the headlines with some nuance and perspective. “The increase in outbreaks seems to be real and not a product of media coverage; however, the significant media coverage is likely making it feel even larger than the actual rise in cases.”

The interconnected nature of today’s food supply can make contamination feel enormous too. A single supplier can distribute products across multiple states, retailers and restaurant chains, meaning one contamination event can quickly become a nationwide concern—and one company can forever be infamous for its “poop lettuce.”