Darin Detwiler said food recalls 2026 had reached 122 food and beverage recalls by July 31, a pace that kept recalls visibly elevated even as the year was not over. He is a professor emeritus at Northeastern and an adjunct professor at Michigan State University College of Law.
Detwiler told The Verge that recall activity has indeed been elevated, but that it is too early to know whether 2026 will outpace 2025. By July 31, 2025 had seen 135 food and beverage recalls, and 2024 had seen 146 by the same point.
Darin Detwiler on July 31
The 2026 total came after a string of large recalls that reached into everyday shopping baskets. The Food and Drug Administration recalled more than one million eggs that may be contaminated with salmonella, and the eggs came from Midwest Poultry Services and were distributed to Kroger and smaller grocery stores across the South and Southwest US.
Taylor Farms also pulled more than a dozen products containing jalapeños from store shelves after Coast Citrus Distributors recalled fresh peppers due to salmonella contamination. Taylor Farms separately recalled iceberg lettuce amid a massive cyclospora outbreak that contributed to more than 9,000 illnesses in the US and may be the third-largest recorded outbreak of foodborne illnesses.
Publix and Outshine recalls
Earlier this month, frozen blueberries and mixed berries sold at Publix stores in multiple states were recalled over concerns about E. coli contamination. Some of Outshine’s fruit bars were removed for potential glass contamination, and dog food and eye drops have also been affected by recent recalls.
Edward Dudley on summer recalls
Edward Dudley, a professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, said summer tends to see more foodborne outbreaks than other months. He added that there has been an increased effort to highlight these events by media outlets, which is great for public awareness, but doesn’t necessarily reflect a concerning uptick in risk.
The rough math still cuts both ways: 122 recalls by July 31 is below the 135 recorded by that date in 2025 and the 146 recorded in 2024. The practical takeaway for shoppers is narrow but direct: the year looks busy, the products span produce and packaged goods, and the final comparison will depend on how the rest of 2026 unfolds.
