As the number of recalls increases, parents are grappling with new food safety concerns

Food recall notifications have become an increasingly common occurrence in recent months. This week, Treehouse Foods Inc. announced that it was voluntarily withdrawing over 600 varieties of frozen waffles — which were sold under a variety of brand names, including Gather & Good, Kodiak Cakes and Great Value — due to possible listeria contamination.

Then last week rolling listeria drug recalls have resumed include an additional nearly 2 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that may be contaminated, bringing the number of recalls to a total of nearly 12 million pounds of product. Salon reported that the recalled food produced by Oklahoma-based BrucePac was sold to major retailers across the country, including: Trader Joe’s, Walmart, AldiTarget, HEB, Giant Eagle and Kroger.

In connection with the recall warning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also found that some potentially contaminated products had been distributed to schools across the country.

A series of alarming food recalls have left many parents struggling with a growing sense of anxiety. Each notification is a stark reminder that the meals they prepare for their children – once deemed safe – can suddenly become potential sources of harm, just like school breakfasts and lunches. Although food safety experts emphasize that the recall system works primarily as a precaution and that only a small fraction of recalled products cause illness, the reality is that parents often bear the emotional toll of these warnings.

But health and legal experts say parents can also take steps to have more control over their family’s food safety.

Amie Alexander, a registered dietitian at Nutri Peak, said first and foremost, consumers shouldn’t panic as soon as news of a product recall makes headlines.

“It’s overwhelming to think that something as simple as food you pack for your kids that you think will be safe and healthy can make them sick,” Alexander said. “However, while this is a serious matter, it is important to remember that the recall system exists as a precaution for consumers.”

For example, it made headlines when it was reported in June that the Food and Drug Administration had “already removed from the market more than 100 food and beverage products deemed to ‘violate’ agency regulations.”

The number of recalls seems staggering, but according to data checked by “Newsweek”.of the 108 food and beverage products recalled by the FDA from January to May, only eight caused “harm or illness to at least one consumer.”

During the same period last year, again eight food and drink products – but out of just 98 recalled – were linked to illness or adverse effects.

Alexander continued: “Often, potential dangers are detected long before illness occurs.”

That said, for busy parents, even just monitoring the USDA and FDA for recall alerts can start to be daunting. After all, feeding a family requires a lot of invisible work, from juggling, i.e. planning meals that take into account different tastes and needs, to grocery shopping. Statistics also show that these tasks fall primarily to mothers.

According to A 2019 Time Use Survey sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in households with both male and female heads of household and at least one child under the age of 18, “80% of mothers say they usually prepare meals.”

This is the same as the percentage of people who say they are the main buyers of groceries, says A Pew Research Center analysis.

“For mothers in particular, it’s more about emotional labor because the vast majority of us – although not me – are ‘food people’,” she said Margaret Quinlanresearcher at the University of North Carolina who studies the relationship between parenting and health. “We monitor what we don’t have, buy groceries, keep up with kids’ tastes and safe foods, etc.”

According to Quinlan, children, especially those with pre-existing conditions that lead to school absences, could face district disciplinary action if they become ill from consuming edibles – another stress parents don’t need.

“At the school where my research partner’s children attend, children can lose their magnetism if they are absent too often. “My kids could get detained for missing too much school,” she explained. “Parents don’t have to worry about dealing with other bureaucracies because corporations don’t bother to follow the rules. They can afford to pay for the problem, but parents will have to do more to deal with it.”

Quinlan continued: “It’s stressful and I feel like a Victorian facing food regulations and inspections.”

Sylvia Smith, relationship and parenting expert at Marriage.com, agrees with Quinlan.

“With each notification of another recall — whether it involves contaminated pre-packaged lunches or potentially unsafe foods on a cafeteria menu — the alarm raises,” Smith wrote in an email. “Food safety is one of those things you can’t compromise on as a parent; and when calls happen, sometimes it feels like the situation is out of your control.”

The key, she said, is trying to balance vigilance with a pragmatic approach.

“Product recalls are usually announced as a precautionary measure, which means there’s a good chance the food in question didn’t harm anyone,” Smith said. “I believe it is important for parents to continually educate themselves about potential risks by monitoring official recall notices from agencies such as the FDA and USDA. Ways to deal with this are to implement a food safety system at home by regularly checking product codes or batch numbers, which will help you manage stress and not become overwhelmed.

Smith said that for parents who are still tired of hearing about yet another recall, it may be time to rethink their approach to purchasing certain groceries.

“On a practical level, you can reduce your reliance on ultra-processed foods, which are more likely to be widely withdrawn from the market,” Smith said. “I also encourage you to get to know your local vendors or farmers who can help you feel safer about the food they serve.”

This is sound advice, but Quinlan points out that some of it may not be realistic for every family, especially in the short term. “There is a judgment towards parents who send their children on processed food, but that’s how I feel picky eaterand if his safe food is not safe, it is a problem for our family,” she said.

On a broader scale, many parents’ concerns about the recent increase in recalls stem from a sense of powerlessness to hold corporations – especially repeat offenders – accountable. But Oliver Morrisey, owner and director of Empower Wills & Estate Lawyers, believes parents actually have more power in these situations than they think.

“Let’s talk about class action lawsuits for a moment,” Morissey wrote by email. “If you are repeatedly experiencing product recalls from the same company or supplier, it may be worth considering whether negligence is involved. Parents can jointly file a class action lawsuit as a way to hold these companies accountable on a larger scale.”

According to Morissey, the idea is that if enough people take collective action, it will not only be about offsetting any damage already done by food recalls, but about forcing companies to improve safety measures.

“It’s more than just responding to recalls,” he continued. “The idea is to prevent future failings by making it clear that such failings are unacceptable. This type of collective legal action is incredibly powerful and often forces companies to address issues they might otherwise ignore.”

Parents can also advocate for stricter oversight of food provided to schools and other institutions that serve children. They can agitate for mandatory and more frequent food inspections, and push for tougher penalties for companies that fail to meet safety standards.

“This does not have to be done individually,” Morissey wrote. “You can work with other parents and legal experts to present your case to local authorities or school boards. The aim is to ensure an overall strengthening of safety measures so that product recalls do not become such a regular occurrence.”