A report on food recalls noted the number of FDA recalls in the first half of this year was about the same as last year, and while USDA food recalls fell by nearly two-thirds, the 37.18 million lbs. affected in H1 2026 represent a 2,432% increase over the previous year -- the highest H1 level in the past 10 years.

Sedgwick, a risk and claims administration firm, released its Product Safety and Recall Index for the first six months of 2026. It's worth noting that the cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to lettuce began in May and peaked after July 1, so most of its numbers will appear in the second half report.

The FDA had 266 compared to 270 in the first half of 2025. The number of units impacted dropped by 18.7% from 84.57 million in 2025 to 68.76 million in 2026.

In H1 2026, undeclared allergens were the leading cause of FDA food recalls with 105 events, down from 112 in H1 2025. The most common allergens cited were nuts, which were linked to 19 recalls, and colors, which were tied to 18 events.

Bacterial contamination was the second most common cause with 61 recalls, including 39 linked to Salmonella and 11 tied to Listeria. Foreign materials had the third highest number of recalls with 38. Of these, plastic and metal contamination recorded 9 recalls each. In terms of units, though, foreign material was the greatest hazard this year, impacting 26.64 million units. This included a recall of prepared foods contaminated with glass that affected 19.07 million units.

Undeclared allergens were second by volume with 24.68 million units recalled, including a single ramen recall of 18.61 million units for undeclared colors. Bacterial contamination was third and impacted 15.85 million units.

By category, prepared foods had the most recalls in H1 2026 with 79 events. This is down from the 89 events recorded in H1 2025, which marked this category’s highest level in more than 10 years. Flavorings were second with 35 events, followed by supplements with 33.

Over at USDA, food recalls fell by 62.5% from 24 events in H1 2025 to nine. Bacterial contamination, foreign material, no inspection, and the combination of misbranding and undeclared allergen each had two recalls. As a standalone cause, undeclared allergens had one event.

By volume, foreign material accounted for the most lbs. recalled with 37 million overwhelmingly tied to one recall of chicken fried rice that impacted 36.99 million lbs. The one recall for undeclared allergen was second by volume and impacted 71,603 lbs., which was caused by undeclared nuts in frozen pork and crab soup dumpling products. No inspection was third and impacted 59,779 lbs.

Poultry was the leading category with three recalls in H1 2026. Pork and multiple meats were second with two recalls each. Fish and beef each had one event. The highest volume was for poultry with 37.01 million lbs., largely related to the chicken fried rice recall. Multiple meats were second by volume with 77,398 lbs. impacted in one recall. Pork by itself was third with 55,777 lbs.