Food recall statistics
(April 2013)
Why do we collect food recall data?
Data collected on food recalls can be used to identify common trends and problems occurring in the food industry. It can inform both government and industry on most frequently occurring hazards so that steps can be taken to prevent further occurrences.
Classification of food recalls
Food recalls are classified by FSANZ under the following categories:
- Microbial contamination
- Labelling
- Foreign matter
- Chemical/contaminant
- Undeclared allergen
- Biotoxin
- Tampering
- Other.
Food recall statistics (between 1 Jan 2003 – 31 Dec 2012)
Between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012, FSANZ was notified of 658 recalls. During this period, the number of recalls per year has generally remained constant - between 55 and 70 recalls per year. The high number of recalls in 2003 was an exception, as the previous year saw new labelling requirements come into effect, including the mandatory labelling of allergens. This issue is discussed in further detail below under ‘Recalls in 2003’.
Figure 1: The number of recalls coordinated by FSANZ each year between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012.
The table below shows the number of recalls by year and recall classification between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012.
Recall reason | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | Total |
Microbial contamination | 35 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 28 | 14 | 13 | 25 | 213 |
Foreign matter | 13 | 9 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 126 |
Labelling | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
Undeclared allergen | 45 | 32 | 20 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 13 | 24 | 17 | 206 |
Chemical/contaminant | 8 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 43 |
Other | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
Biotoxin | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
Tampering | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Total | 105 | 70 | 64 | 67 | 51 | 51 | 55 | 53 | 67 | 60 | 643 |
Table 1: Number of recalls coordinated by FSANZ, by year and classification, between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012.
Figure 2: Number of food recalls coordinated by FSANZ, shown by recall classification, between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012.
During the past decade the majority of recalls have been for microbial contamination (213 recalls in total, or approximately 33% of all recalls during this period), followed closely by recalls due to undeclared allergens (206 recalls in total, or 32% of all recalls during this period). In 2003, 2004 and 2011 the number of recalls due to undeclared allergens outnumbered the recalls due to microbial contamination, and in 2005 and 2006 there was the same amount of undeclared allergen related recalls as microbial recalls. Over the past 10 years the categories ‘other’, ‘biotoxin’ and ‘tampering’ are consistently the least common reasons for initiating a food recall.
Recalls in 2003
The number of recalls coordinated in 2003 was unusually high compared to previous years. This increase in recalls coincided with the introduction of new labelling requirements for the mandatory declaration of allergens and resulted in many food companies undertaking recalls as their food products were not labelled with the new mandatory statements.
Microbial contamination
Overall, microbial contamination represents the most common reason for food recalls over the past 10 years with 210 recalls. A high number of microbial recalls occurred in 2003, with another spike in 2009, as shown in figure 2 above.
Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and E.coli are the three microorganisms most commonly associated with food recalls in Australia – see Figure 4 below. The ‘other’ classification under microbial contamination includes clostridium perfringens, botulism, algae, viral contamination and other organisms not listed.
Figure 3: Microorganisms associated with microbial recalls from 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012.
Figure 4: Type of food products recalled for top 3 microorganisms associated with recalls from 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012
Processed foods and meats are recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination more frequently than other foods due to the importance the food industry and government place on ensuring this pathogen is not present in ready-to-eat foods and the extensive testing of food products for this bacterium.
The Food Standards Code specifies limits for Listeria monocytogenes in certain foods, including cooked and/or cured meats. Foods that pose the most risk for Listeria infection are ready-to-eat foods that support the growth of Listeria such as meat and dairy products and are stored at refrigeration temperatures for long periods, thereby enabling Listeria to grow.
For more information on the microbiological limits visit Standard 1.6.1 Microbiological Limits for Food, which can be found on the Food Standards Code page.
Undeclared allergen recalls
Overall, undeclared allergens are the second most common reason for food recalls in Australia with 206 recalls between January 2003 and December 2012. While a spike in recalls followed the introduction of new labelling laws in 2002, the number of recalls for undeclared allergens has remained fairly constant from 2005 onwards.
Figure 5: Breakdown of food recalls by allergen, as a proportion of all undeclared allergen recalls during the period between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012
During the last 10 years, recalls due to undeclared peanuts have been the most common allergen related recall, accounting for 22% of all allergen related recalls. Dairy and wheat allergen recalls were the second (19%) and third (18%) most common types of allergen recalls respectively.
Foreign matter
Between 2003 and 2012, there were 126 recalls due to foreign matter. The most common types of foreign matter found in food were metal (35%), plastic (28%) and glass (21%). See figure 9 for a breakdown of the material found in food products resulting in foreign matter recalls.
Figure 6: Breakdown of food recalls by foreign material as a proportion of all foreign matter recalls during the period 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012.
Chemical contamination
Recalls due to chemical contamination occur less frequently, with numbers of recalls over the past 10 years ranging between 2 and 11 per year. The total number of recalls due to chemical contamination between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012 was 43 recalls (see Table 1). Figure 7 indicated the contaminants present in food recalled under this category.
Figure 7: Types of chemical contamination between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012.
The category ‘Other contaminate’ was the most common type of chemical/contaminant recalls. Recalls under this classification included high levels of naturally occurring iodine (in seaweed and soy milk) and chloropropane contamination (in soy sauce).
Food types associated with food recalls
Figure 8 gives an indication of the types of foods most commonly associated with food recalls. The food categories listed in Figure 9 have been developed by FSANZ to aid reporting requirements and data collection. The food type most commonly associated with a recall is ‘Mixed/Processed Food’. This is most likely due to the wide range of foods that are categorised under this heading, including most long-life packaged food and manufactured items that contain multiple ingredients. ‘Meat and meat products’ is the second largest food type associated with recalls. It includes a wide variety of meat products such as fresh meat, ready-to-eat luncheon meats from the deli, as well as long-life processed meat products such as salami.
Figure 8: Number of recalls by food class from 1 January 2003 – 31 December 2012