Cross-contamination and mislabelling causes most product recalls
Factory contamination of food and drink by pathogens and physical contaminants continues to present problems for the industry, according to an assessment of the reasons behind food alerts issued last year by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Of the 55 alerts issued last year by the FSA, 45 involved product recalls or withdrawals due to contamination of products. While last year’s horsemeat contamination scandal was a major focus of public, political and media attention, the number of recalls associated with it were low – just three.
Most recalls were the result of bacterial, rodent/insect or other chemical cross-contamination; mislabelling; or because products were made in unapproved premises. However, six were due to the suspected presence of physical contamination occurring during production or distribution.
