2025 was a year of heightened scrutiny and change across food safety. The industry saw an increase in recalls, a shift in regulatory priorities, and global trade and supply chain pressures. Yet these food safety challenges were not isolated events but rather signal broader trends. Food safety in 2025 was more visible, regulated, and interconnected.
Food safety and quality assurance managers and leaders likely saw and felt these changes throughout the year. Noticing impacts on day-to-day operations, supplier verification, and testing requirements. Food safety and quality assurance (FSQA) teams are expected to be ready to respond quickly and efficiently to ongoing industry challenges and are on the front lines of these risks. The following five food safety stories from 2025 are carefully curated to showcase the experiences and changes in food safety. These stories have direct implications for growers, processors, and suppliers and offer practical steps that FSQA teams can take moving forward.
Record-High Food Recalls
Data released throughout 2025 showed a significant increase in food recalls, including the second-highest quarterly total for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls since Q1 2020. Additionally, the volume of impacted units surged 75.8 percent, rising from 14.32 million to 25.17 million between the second and third quarters. Food safety teams must take heed of what this data shows and how it will impact their operations.
While the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) saw fewer recalls, the recalls themselves were large in scale. Compared with the year-to-date through Q3, the FDA experienced 52 more recalls in 2025 than in the same period in 2024.
In Q3 of 2025, undeclared allergens were the primary cause of FDA food recalls. Among those, the most common allergens were soy, milk, and nuts. Additionally, bacterial contamination was the second-leading cause of recalls in Q3, and non-bacterial contamination ranked third. Furthermore, by recall volume, this category ranked second and foreign materials third. Moreover, the leading cause of FSIS recalls in Q3 2025, and the number of recalls were both due to foreign materials.
With the above statistics in mind, it is critical to note that undeclared allergens remain a top cause of recalls. These high recall volumes demonstrate the need to fill gaps in labeling, controls, and testing. Recalls are costly and can impact your brand for years to come. In response to the recall trends of 2025, consider taking the following actionable steps: reinforce your allergen verification processes, review your foreign material detection and preventive controls, and review your recall response plan.
Several industry media outlets have documented the food recalls throughout 2025.
- Volumes of Recalled Food at Both the FDA and FSIS have Increased Dramatically —Food Safety News
- Record-Breaking Food Recalls Put Consumers At Risk — Parker | Waichman LLP
- Beyond the Label: What 2025’s Product Recall Trends Reveal About Emerging Risk — CRC Group
Proposed Federal Food Safety Overhaul
A potentially significant change to the current federal food safety system was proposed, which could have broad implications for how food safety is managed.
Supported by Consumer Reports, the Consumer Federation of America, the Environmental Working Group, and STOP Foodborne Illness, a solely independent federal food agency dubbed the Federal Food Administration. U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin reintroduced this bill. This bill, the Federal Food Administration Act, was introduced in 2024 but did not advance. With this change, federal food safety oversight would be consolidated into a single, independent Federal Food Administration. The Congresspeople argued that, despite the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011 and the creation of the Human Foods Program in 2024, there has been no notable progress in reducing foodborne illness and deaths.
This structural change within the current food supply system could have many effects, such as changes in inspection approaches, complexity, audit requirements, and export certifications, to name a few. In preparation for this restructuring proposal, consider reviewing your operations against FDA, USDA, and state standards to understand how you use them. Additionally, ensure your internal documentation is up to date in the event of potential changes to the audit authority. During this period of review, you can track the bill’s progress via the Congress’s website here.
This issue received attention from multiple media outlets.
- Bill to Create New U.S. Food Safety Agency Reintroduced — Food Safety Magazine
- Durbin, Delauro Introduce The Federal Food Administration Act — Dick Durbin
- Legislators Seek One Agency for Food Safety — Food Safety News
Aflatoxin Risk and EU Scrutiny
Throughout 2025, aflatoxin was a topic of concern. In the June 2025 food safety update, the Internal Nut and Dried Fruit (INC) reported that aflatoxins would be added as a concern under a specific regulation. In August 2025, an article by Food Safety News further highlighted the INC report, citing an aflatoxin check on Turkish dried figs. In November 2025, Spanish Agricultural stakeholder groups urged EU officials to take action against U.S. nut imports after they were flagged for high aflatoxin levels. Currently, North American almonds imported into the EU must undergo pre-export controls on feed and food shipments immediately before export. This process is meant to verify that the exported product meets EU requirements.
Given that EU import limits on aflatoxin are stricter than U.S. standards, it’s critical to acknowledge that exceeding these limits can result in rejected product at the port of entry. To avoid this, U.S. tree nut exporters must undergo meticulous testing and documentation to maintain market access. Furthermore, with this push for action against U.S. nut imports in mind, exporters need to ensure that aflatoxin sampling is conducted in accordance with EU aflatoxin standards. Organizations can also mitigate aflatoxin risk by strengthening their moisture and storage controls.
The following media outlets dive deeper into aflatoxin trends in 2025.
- Spanish Growers Call for Tighter EU Import Controls on U.S. Nuts Due to Aflatoxins — Food Safety Magazine
- Food Safety Update: June 2025 — International Nuts & Dried Fruit
- Europe Adjusts Food Import Control Rates — Food Safety News
FDA Food Dye Ban
2025 was a historic year with regard to food dyes. The year began with the FDA announcing the ban of FD&C Red No.3 in food and ingested drugs. This ban set the tone for the rest of the year. In May, the FDA approved three food colors from natural sources: Galdieria extract blue, Butterfly pea flower extract, and Calcium phosphate. As the year went on, the industry took further steps to ban more food dyes, with the FDA proposing the removal of Orange B from food.
Throughout 2025, this momentum surrounding food dyes was substantial. During the year, the FDA asked companies to voluntarily remove or replace their synthetic dyes by the end of 2025.
This industry update was reported on throughout 2025 by multiple media outlets, including the following.
- FDA asks food industry to phase out artificial dyes — Food Dive
- FDA has banned the use of Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs — Safe Food Alliance
- Color Additives – Information for Consumers — FDA
Multistate Listeria Outbreak in RTE Foods
Multiple public health and regulatory officials and agencies, such as the CDC, FDA, and USDA-FSIS, are investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections. Listeria monocytogenes infections were linked to refrigerated, ready-to-eat prepared meals containing pasta, highlighting ongoing Listeria risks in RTE production environments. This multistate outbreak affected 18 states and numerous popular nationwide chains, including Kroger, Albertsons, Walmart, and Trader Joe’s, all of which issued recalls.
This outbreak demonstrated the high concern of Listeria in RTE foods and their production environments. Further demonstrating how critical environmental control, sanitation, and testing are. Some actionable steps include revalidating your environmental monitoring program (EMP) and monitoring for patterns that could cause cross-contamination. Additionally, confirming the effectiveness of the product’s kill step is critical in the prevention of Listeria.
More information about this widespread listeria outbreak can be found in the below sources.
- 2025 Recalls of Prepared Pasta Meals (Frozen and Ready-To-Eat) Due to Potential Listeria monocytogenes Contamination — FDA
- 6 Dead in Multistate Listeria Outbreak Linked to Recalled Pasta Meals. Which Products Are Affected? — TODAY
- New deaths, hospitalizations reported in connection with listeria outbreak tied to ready-to-eat pasta — ABC News
2025 demonstrated the interconnectedness of regulatory action, recall activity, and expectations for food safety programs. From aflatoxin risk in export markets to pathogen control and system oversights, growers and food organizations need to remain proactive and vigilant in monitoring industry updates. As we enter a new year, consider dedicating time to review your food safety plans, update your monitoring and testing strategies, and stay up to date on industry developments.
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