Just weeks after Taylor Farms recalled its iceberg lettuce amid a massive cyclospora outbreak, the FDA decided to spoil everyone's breakfast by recalling more than one million eggs that may be contaminated with salmonella. The eggs, courtesy of Midwest Poultry Services, found their way to Kroger and assorted smaller grocery stores across the South and Southwest US. Not to be outdone, Taylor Farms then pulled more than a dozen jalapeño-containing products - including guacamole, salsa, taco dip, and other party essentials - after its supplier, Coast Citrus Distributors, recalled fresh peppers due to salmonella contamination.

The recall parade didn't stop there. Frozen blueberries and mixed berries at Publix stores in multiple states were yanked over E. coli concerns earlier this month. Outshine's fruit bars got the boot for potential glass contamination, and even dog food and eye drops have joined the recall party. All told, these recent recalls have sickened thousands of people (and some dogs) across the US, proving that no snack, side dish, or eye drop is safe.

Darin Detwiler, professor emeritus at Northeastern and adjunct professor at Michigan State University College of Law, tells The Verge that FDA data suggests "recall activity has indeed been elevated," but it's "too early to know" if this year's recalls will outpace 2025's. As of July 31st, we've had 122 food and beverage recalls this year, compared to 135 during the same period in 2025 and 146 in 2024, according to the Poynter Institute. Edward Dudley, a professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, notes that summer tends to see more foodborne outbreaks, and media coverage may amplify the perception of risk without reflecting a true uptick.

While the raw numbers aren't dramatically higher, a report from the US Public Interest Research Group highlights "a huge increase" in outbreaks. Detwiler explains that "recall activity in 2026 appears elevated, and some individual recalls are affecting extraordinarily large quantities of food," which can expose far more consumers than dozens of smaller events. The lettuce-linked cyclospora outbreak alone contributed to over 9,000 illnesses, potentially making it the third-largest recorded outbreak of foodborne illnesses, per PIRG.

Media coverage and viral social media posts have amplified these recalls, but Detwiler warns of "recall fatigue" turning into "trust fatigue." When recalls become background noise, people may stop paying attention - or worse, accept them as an unavoidable cost of a complex food system. The Trump administration's federal funding cuts aren't helping: the FDA's budget decreased by $271 million, with over 4,300 employees cut in 2025 and 2026, while the CDC slashed over 2,800 jobs, as reported by FoodNavigator. The Government Accountability Office noted in February that the FDA is dealing with staffing shortages as safety inspections pile up.

The CDC also pulled back on tracking certain foodborne diseases last year, dropping cyclospora, listeria, and shigella from its surveillance program. The FDA delayed the Traceability Rule - a law meant to make it easier to track contaminated food - pushing enforcement from January 2026 to 2028. With fewer staff and looser regulations, detecting and avoiding recalls becomes harder. Detwiler's prescription? "The solution is not to communicate less about recalls. It is to prevent more of them, communicate clearly when they occur, explain what went wrong, strengthen the institutions responsible for detecting hazards, and demonstrate that lessons from previous failures are actually being implemented." But hey, at least we have plenty of food recall bingo material.