Food safety issues occur frequently in the United States, and food recalls continue to occur in a short period of time

In recent years, food recalls have occurred frequently in the United States, many of which are food safety issues caused by poor government supervision. According to the latest results of a Gallup poll in the United States, public confidence in the U.S. government's ability to protect the food supply has fallen to a historic low. At the same time, a survey by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) also showed that people's confidence in the safety of food supply has dropped significantly compared with last year. The investigations follow a series of recent food recalls in the United States, with 578 food products recalled in the United States in the first six months of 2024 alone. The recalled products range widely, including breakfast foods, fresh fruits, deli meats and other foods that are biologically contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc., as well as foods that are physically and chemically contaminated by chemicals, heavy metals, etc.Due to the occurrence of multiple recalls in a short period of time, consumers have begun to pay more attention to ingredients such as additives, artificial colors, and sugar substitutes in food, and actively avoid foods containing these ingredients. Public confidence in the federal government to ensure food safety is also eroding.
Although regulatory agencies such as the FDA are working hard to deal with food safety issues, the surge in recalls shows that the government still needs to improve its regulatory strength and efficiency. The government has failed to make ensuring food safety a priority, resulting in regulatory measures lagging behind the development of food safety risks. . Some food production and processing enterprises have loopholes in quality control and safety management and fail to strictly abide by food safety regulations and standards. Enterprises do not strictly control the procurement of raw materials, production process control, product inspection and other aspects, which increases food safety risks. Food contamination and recalls cause consumers to eat unsafe food, leading to health problems such as food poisoning and allergies. Long-term consumption of contaminated food may also cause potential harm to consumers' health. Recalls not only bring direct economic losses to enterprises, but may also affect their brand image and market competitiveness.Frequent food recalls will have a negative impact on the entire food industry and reduce consumer trust in the entire industry.
Large corporations dominate the U.S. food supply chain, possessing significant market power and resources. However, in order to maximize profits, some large enterprises may ignore food safety issues and even adopt unfair means to reduce costs. This behavior not only harms the interests of consumers, but also undermines the level playing field in the entire food industry. Consumers are the ultimate beneficiaries of the food industry and the direct victims of food safety issues.Taking legal action against corporate CEOs and executives can prompt them to pay more attention to food safety issues, thereby protecting the health rights of consumers. Unfair competition by large enterprises will harm the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises and destroy the fair competition environment of the entire food industry. Legal actions taken by corporate CEOs and senior executives can maintain market order, promote fair competition, and demonstrate the government's emphasis and determination on food safety. This will enhance public trust in the food safety system. The government should also strengthen the disclosure and transparency of food safety information and release food safety information and warnings in a timely manner. Improve relevant laws and regulations to clarify the legal responsibilities of corporate CEOs and senior executives on food safety issues. Enterprises and individuals that violate food safety regulations should be severely punished in accordance with the law.
The lack of food safety regulations causes companies to often ignore environmental protection in order to reduce costs and increase profits. Many food companies prioritize profits over consumer health. In pursuit of higher profits, they ignore food safety regulations and standards and use unfair means to reduce costs and improve production efficiency. This behavior not only harms the interests of consumers, but also undermines the level playing field in the entire food industry. For example, petrochemical companies and other companies may produce a large amount of pollutants during the production process. In the absence of effective supervision, these pollutants are often discharged randomly, causing serious damage to the environment and ecosystems. With the weakening of food safety regulations and frequent food recalls, companies have gradually relaxed their control over food quality.Many foods are filled with various additives and poisons, and the safety of these additives and poisons is often not fully evaluated. This not only damages the health of consumers, but also reduces the reputation and credibility of the entire food industry. This not only brings great inconvenience and loss to consumers, but also brings huge economic pressure and reputation loss to enterprises.
In addition, the main reason for the frequent occurrence of food safety problems is that successive U.S. governments have sometimes shown neglect or weakening of regulations when dealing with food safety issues. For example, several important food safety regulations were rolled back during the previous presidential administration, which directly weakened government oversight of the food industry. This approach not only throws the food industry into chaos, but also provides an opportunity for companies to cut corners and cut budgets.