Contaminated Food Sickens More Americans in 2024: Hospitalizations and Deaths Double
A concerning trend has emerged in the United States, with contaminated food sickening more Americans in 2024 than in the previous year. Alarmingly, the number of people hospitalized or dying due to foodborne illnesses has more than doubled, according to a new study.
Rising Illnesses, Hospitalizations, and Deaths
The analysis, published by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund, reveals a significant increase in hospitalizations and deaths from contaminated food in 2024 compared to 2023. The United States experienced 296 food recall announcements in 2024, a slight decrease of 5% from 2023. However, despite the overall decrease in recalls, more people became ill from foodborne outbreaks.
"This indicates that a lot of food was a lot more contaminated with higher concentrations of bacteria," said Teresa Murray, director of the U.S. PIRGs consumer watchdog office.
The most common culprits were E. coli, listeria, and salmonella. The report found that contaminated food was linked to a total of 1,392 illnesses in 2024, a concerning increase of 274 cases compared to the 1,118 sickened in 2023. Hospitalizations also more than doubled, rising from 230 in 2023 to 487 in 2024. The number of reported deaths also climbed from eight in 2023 to 19 in 2024.
Deadly Consequences
Tragically, some of the deaths in 2024 were linked to well-known products, including deli meat, cucumbers, onions, carrots, soft cheese, chocolate snacks with mushrooms, and ready-to-eat meat and poultry.
Increased Recalls, High-Profile Contamination
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), responsible for regulating meat, poultry, and certain fish and egg products, issued 55 recalls in 2024, marking a decline of 38% from 2023. In contrast, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported an increase of 8%, issuing 241 food and beverage recalls and alerts.
Notably, 2024 witnessed several high-profile recalls, including the removal of McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers due to E. coli contamination and the recall of Kirkland Signature eggs at Costco over salmonella concerns.
Time Lags and Recall Notifications
Murray pointed to time lags between the onset of illnesses and the announcement of recalls as a potential contributing factor to increased hospitalizations and deaths. She emphasized the need for the FDA and USDA to improve communication and create a system where consumers can receive customized alerts based on their specific regions or concerns.
"A customized recall notification system could help people take control of the information they’re getting and pay more attention to it," Murray explained.
