Contaminated Food Causing Increasing Number Of Illnesses In US As Severe Cases Become More Common

CNN (2/18, McPhillips, Choi) reports, “Contaminated food is causing a growing number of illnesses in the United States, and severe cases that lead to hospitalization or death are becoming more common.” There were roughly “300 food recalls in 2024, associated with nearly 1,400 illnesses, according to a report published last week by the Public Interest Research Group, a nonprofit focused on consumer protection.” According to CNN, “there were 487 people who were sick enough to be hospitalized and 19 who died from an illness related to contaminated food, double the number of hospitalizations and deaths in 2023.” Overall, the “number of recalls under the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture in 2024 ticked down compared with 2023.”