Food-related illnesses and the uncertainty surrounding food appear to be the most prevalent memes on social media in 2026. Food recalls seem to be more frequent—or at least more prominent in the headlines. And there’s a wide range of them: a deadly outbreak of listeriosis, contamination by Salmonella, E. coli, and the infamous cyclosporiasis, among others.

The worst part is that active outbreaks the CDC and the FDA are investigating seem to be affecting more and more people, including confirmed cases of illness, several hospitalizations, and, in one case, a death. The most high-profile one was last month’s outbreak of cyclosporiasis due to Taylor Fresh Foods’ iceberg lettuce.

The question on everyone’s mind now is: What can we eat, and what’s going on?

Let’s look at the numbers first.

So far in 2026, there have been 162 food recalls, according to data from the FDA and the USDA. For those who don’t know, the FDA regulates approximately 80% of food products, while the USDA handles the rest.
Now, those 162 recalls in eight months account for nearly half of the 320 recalls recorded throughout all of last year. The difference this year is that recalls have been making more headlines, partly due to outbreaks of diseases such as cyclosporiasis, which have infected more than 28,000 people.

In the last two months alone, the FDA has recalled 13 food products from the market following reports ranging from a deadly listeria outbreak to a case of dog food fraud.

The recalled foods largely affect Latinos’ diet.

We’re all familiar with the case of Taylor Fresh Foods’ lettuce. Still, the company also recalled products made with jalapeños after its supplier, Coast Citrus Distributors, recalled the same jalapeños used in sauces, guacamole, sandwiches, salads, burritos, and other prepared foods.

The affected foods were sold through major retail chains such as Target, Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop. Among the products are Trader Joe’s “Fiesta Style” shrimp salad and Walmart’s “Freshness Guaranteed” pico de gallo, among others.

Meanwhile, Midwest Poultry Services recalled approximately 1.59 million dozen eggs due to possible contamination with Salmonella Enteritidis. Publix also recalled all lots of GreenWise frozen whole and organic blueberries due to an alleged E. coli outbreak.

Similarly, City Foods recalled pastrami and brined meat, while Ukrop’s recalled baked spaghetti, chicken pot pie, and other prepared foods because they might contain—get this—metal shards.

Other products include Lidl’s Eridanous butter cookies, Peter Rabbit Organics’ “Banana & Strawberry” fruit puree pouches, MorningStar Farms’ buffalo chicken nuggets and sausage burgers, and Nara Organics’ whole milk powder for infants.

Some of the favorites among Latinos include ricotta cheese products from the La Colonia and Selectos Latinos brands, as well as spicy breakfast burritos from Fresh & Ready.

What the hell is going on?

The easiest answer to that question could easily be the Trump administration’s budget cuts. However, as is often the case, this is a situation where two things can be happening at the same time.

First, in the United States—regardless of which administration is in the White House—food safety budgets have been underfunded for decades, according to Susan Mayne, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health, who spoke to CBS News. However, during President Trump’s second term, the FDA has lost about 20% of its staff. Similarly, the CDC has reduced its staff by 25%. The CDC used to have 11 scientists dedicated to monitoring foodborne parasites. Now there are only three.

“We had a national advisory committee—a committee that advised the FDA and USDA on how to prevent microbial contamination in food,” said Mayne. “That advisory committee was disbanded. We used to hold meetings with our Mexican counterparts to discuss how we could work together to improve food safety. That entire team was let go.”

Secondly, changes in the dynamics of the import and export market are an integral part of all this.

In recent years, an increasing number of food recalls have been due to products not matching what says on the packaging, such as undeclared allergens like milk or wheat. Allergens accounted for nearly half of all recalls in 2023, according to a report by the Public Interest Research Group.

Similarly, as international regulatory standards improve (and domestic ones worsen), there is a disruption in the flow of food through markets.

Finally, as reported by U.S. News, although the number of recalls increased, the volume of recalled products actually decreased. This reflects a shift in recent years toward a preventive rather than a reactive approach: more and more food companies are acting with extreme caution and removing their products from store shelves at the slightest hint of doubt, before consumers suffer any harm.

Tags: Food Recalls