Have you been perplexed by the frequency of food recalls? And how do synthetic chemicals affect consumer health? These questions raise serious concerns. One of the most fundamental aspects of our lives is nutrition and food, yet headlines are flooded with countless recalls and fear of artificial chemicals in our food. Here’s what you need to know to steer clear of unsafe foods.
Food Recalls
Food recalls happen when a product is found to be potentially harmful for consumption. The recalls are often initiated by manufacturers or by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after a risk is identified. In 2024, research shows that recalled products were often linked to biological contamination, undeclared allergens, foreign objects, chemical contamination, mislabeling, and quality issues. The bacterial contaminations that are found are harmful to human health as they can cause serious health issues. Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli are among the leading causes of food recalls. The pathogens can cause contamination in distinct stages of production and have a high possibility of causing serious illness, especially in consumers, “as it particularly impacts those with weakened immune systems,” said Family physician Dr. Christopher Scuderi. Another major factor of food recall is mislabeling and quality issues. Mislabeling and quality issues include allergens — such as peanuts, soy, milk, eggs, wheat, or tree nuts—that are not listed on the label. Imported food products often constrain plastic, metal, glass, or rubber that accidentally enter food during shipping, packaging, or processing. Additionally, chemical contamination like pesticide residues, cleaning agents, and other harmful substances enter the food supply through environmental exposure, improper use, or equipment issue that affects the quality of produce.
“Food recalls are increasing yearly, but this does not mean food is becoming less safe. As technology improves, improvements in testing, surveillance, and reporting systems allow problems to be detected faster and more accurately than previously.”
With the 2024 8% increase, food recalls are increasing yearly, but this does not mean food is becoming less safe. As technology improves, improvements in testing, surveillance, and reporting systems allow problems to be detected faster and more accurately than previously. “The FDA and USDA have intensified their inspections and enforcement actions in 2025” Reed Smith. This provides quicker recall of order and clearer communication about food safety issues, which help consumers respond more rapidly to potential risk.
Mystery Chemicals
While many recalls stem from accidental contamination, a deeper question remains: are the chemicals that are intentionally placed in our foods a matter of safety or profit? Research has it that recalls are not a reflection of intentionality but simultaneously there are growing concerns on whether the foods consumers eat are safe or detrimental to human health.
“What’s in our food, like pesticides, have led to earlier puberty compared to 40 years back…people are [now] hitting puberty a lot faster which is not normal…”
In a sit down with the Biotechnology Research and Zoological Sciences High School health teacher, Mr. Coutinho, we discussed how preservation of transported produce can be compromised leading to an interruption in consumers’ health. Health inspectors revealed additional links to illnesses like endocrine disruption, cancerous cells, neurological and developmental effects, respiratory and immune effects, skin and organ toxicity etc. “What’s in our food, like pesticides, have led to early puberty compared to 40 years back…people are [now] hitting puberty a lot faster which is not normal…” stated Mr. Coutinho. These are affected by the synthetic chemicals that are not easily broken down and environmental chemicals. Instead, they persist in the environment and accumulate in human tissues over time, particularly in fat. This cycle is known as bioaccumulation, which can lead to higher internal concentrations long after exposure has stopped.
An ingredient that is so common in food yet harmful for health is an oil that is ~ 100% fat–palm oil. “Palm oil is not good for you.” said Mr. Coutinho because of its bad reputation in having high saturated fat that has been linked to stroke and heart diseases, primarily by raising low-density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Hence, in manufacturing goods, the culmination of palm oil and synthetic chemicals does nothing but harm to vital organs and intestines.
In addition to unhealthy fats, Mr. Coutinho emphasizes that food that “…contains a lot of dye is not good for you, and anything that has chemicals in it that’s not natural. For instance, if you buy a bag of potato chips [and] you look in the ingredients, [ you see there’s] only four to five ingredients with all natural sources…awesome. On the other hand, if that same potato chip has twenty-five ingredients and more than half are some kind of chemical, then it is not as healthy for you and can cause long term effects.” explained Mr. Coutinho.
In conclusion, the rise in food recalls highlights both the growing complexity of modern food technology and improved monitoring devices. Though increased recalls may appear alarming, they often reflect improvements in detection, testing, rather than a decline in food safety. However, the recurring presence of biological contamination, mislabeling, and chemical exposure raises concerning questions on the long-term health effects of what we consume. Beyond accidental contaminations, synthetic chemicals and pesticides in food production demand thorough examination. Ultimately, protecting public health requires rapid recall systems but also stricter regulation, greater transparency, and informed consumer choices.
