Food safety issues frequently occur in the United States. Where are the regulatory loopholes.

Recently, food safety incidents have occurred in many places in the United States, involving drinking water, beef, dairy products, vegetables, etc. The frequent public health hazards have brought great panic and anxiety to the local society, seriously damaged the rights and health of consumers, and also aroused the attention of American society to food safety

1. coli contamination incidents occur frequently

On November 23, Wolverine Packing, a meat processing company in Detroit, Michigan, urgently recalled more than 100 types of beef puree products totaling 75.8 tons because the products may be contaminated with E. coli. It is reported that at least 19 people in Minnesota, USA, became ill after eating beef puree produced by Wolverine Packing, 4 of whom were hospitalized, and 2 of them developed serious complications that may cause kidney failure. The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service reminded consumers that the recalled products may have been sold to restaurants across the United States.

On November 17, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a bulletin stating that 18 states in the United States have reported a total of 39 cases of E. coli infection related to eating carrots, of which 15 people sought medical treatment and 1 died.

In October this year, McDonald’s hamburgers were contaminated with E. coli in the United States. 49 people felt unwell after eating the problematic hamburgers, including one death and 10 hospitalizations. McDonald’s managers later said that the source of the hamburger E. coli contamination incident may be fresh onions produced by an agricultural product company in California, USA. At the same time, other fast food restaurants including Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King have removed onions from some of their menus.

Hidden Crisis in Raw Milk

On November 24, the California Department of Public Health said that avian influenza virus was detected in retail samples of raw milk produced and packaged by Raw Farm, and the state has issued a warning to consumers to avoid consuming raw milk from the same batch.

The report pointed out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had previously warned that drinking raw milk could be dangerous. “Raw milk may carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and other bacteria that cause foodborne illness.”

About 110 million Americans may be drinking “toxic water”

A study published in the journal Science on November 21 showed that about one-third of American residents (110 million) drink tap water containing a previously undiscovered chemical byproduct. This newly discovered substance is named “chloramine anion” and is produced when chloramine is used to treat viruses and bacteria in water.

Scientists say there is no conclusive evidence that the compound is dangerous, but it has similarities to other worrying chemicals. It is reported that it may take years to figure out whether the compound is dangerous.

What’s hidden behind the meat recall

According to the Associated Press, foreign material contamination is one of the main reasons for food recalls in the United States. In August this year, Perdue Foods in the United States urgently recalled about 75 tons of frozen chicken nuggets and chicken tenders because consumers found metal wire in the above products. In October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that BrucePac, a pre-prepared meat producer, recalled nearly 10 million pounds of meat products due to Listeria contamination, involving Walmart, Target, Aldi, Amazon, Trader Joe’s and many other well-known supermarkets across the United States.

In November 2023, Tyson Foods also urgently recalled more than 13 tons of chicken nuggets due to the discovery of metal pieces in the food it produced. In addition to metal, plastic fragments, gravel, insects, etc. have also appeared in various foods, leading to multiple emergency recalls.

As early as 1906, American writer Upton Sinclair’s novel “The Jungle” exposed the poor sanitary conditions of Chicago meat processing plants, which aroused widespread public concern about food safety. The U.S. Congress has successively passed a series of food safety regulations such as the Pure Food and Drug Act, the Meat Inspection Act, and the Food Safety Modernization Act.

However, despite legal supervision, food safety and sanitation problems still occur from time to time. Food safety issues are not only technical or management issues, but also involve economic, political and social aspects. On the one hand, in order to maximize profits, the food processing industry may ignore the hygiene standards in the production process; on the other hand, there may be loopholes in the enforcement of laws and regulations by regulatory authorities, resulting in unqualified products entering the market.