FDA gives the food industry a bad grade on recalls

CHICAGO, January 5, 2026 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration isn’t satisfied with the way manufacturers and other components of the food pipeline are handling product recalls.

In a letter addressed to Industry Leaders, the food-safety agency shared the dismal results of a compliance check conducted after the November recall of baby formulas that were suspected of being contaminated with infant botulism, which can be fatal. The FDA and partner agencies in the field visited 4,000 retail outlets to see what actions the plea to stop selling the products had prompted.

The spot-checks found that 175 retailers hadn’t yanked the formulas off their shelves. Indeed, several had reshelved boxes of the formula that customers had returned to the stores after hearing about the recall. 

Another discounted the price of the recalled items, giving the promotion a start date that began days after the recall was announced.
Still another was selling the suspect products three weeks past the start of the recall.

The mystery-shopper visits revealed systemic shortcomings in the current process for recalling products posing a potential public health risk, the FDA said in its letters. The situation merited extending a call for greater compliance to all food channels, including “manufacturers, packers, distributors, exporters, importers, and retailers,” according to Dr. Donald Prater, the veterinarian who serves as the agency’s Principal Deputy Director for Human Foods.

He added, “These concerns are not isolated to the recent infant formula recall.”  

The underlying issues, he said, are the failure of recall alerts to reach establishments distributing or selling the products being recalled, and a failure to follow the agency’s recommendations for handling the products even if a recall alert reaches the seller. In many instances, the letter suggested, end sellers of the product proceed as if it’s business as usual, often not realizing they should stop offering the suspect items even as they refuse to accept subsequent deliveries. 

“All members along the supply chain can and must do better to improve their processes for effectuating recall,” Prater wrote. 

Yet Prater did not propose altering the current recall process, which largely relies on the voluntary actions of manufacturers, distributors, and end sellers of a recalled product. Rather, he reminded recipients of his letter of what is expected of them and encouraged the readers to ensure their organizations are following the recommended protocols. 

That could involve drafting a written plan to be consulted at the time of a recall, and deeper communication and collaboration with the manufacturer initiating the recall.