By Sarina Tejani | Reporter
As food recalls continue — affecting common grocery store items — Baylor professors gave advice to students on staying safe and healthy while grocery shopping.
These recalls, which include frozen vegetables, packaged salads and cheese products, have been linked to potential contamination with bacteria like Listeria or foreign objects.
Students have raised concerns as foodborne illnesses can pose serious health risks, particularly for busy or stressed college students.
Houston junior Hope Leach shared how the recalls have impacted her routine grocery shopping.
“I go to H-E-B every week to get my groceries,” Leach said. “Last week, I saw that Silk milk was being recalled. This is concerning, because what if something I am consuming every day is recalled tomorrow?”
Leach expressed her worries about the safety of the food she buys.
“I believe that these recalls shouldn’t be happening so often, especially with food items,” Leach said. “It makes me sick when I think about items being recalled due to Listeria or other bacteria.”
To better understand the health risks associated with food recalls, Stanley Wilfong, senior lecturer and program coordinator for nutrition sciences, explained some of the dangers students should be aware of.
“Foods are recalled for a variety of reasons, including bacterial, viral and fungal contamination, or due to foreign objects like glass, plastic or metal shavings,” Wilfong said. “[Mislabeled] or unreported allergens are also common reasons.”
He added that the health risks range from food poisoning — which can be fatal — to injuries like broken teeth or allergic reactions, which can also be fatal.
Recent recalls have included nearly 10 million pounds of meat and poultry products due to Listeria concerns. Popular cheese brands like Tillamook have been pulled from shelves due to possible plastic contamination. Arugula from Green Life Farms was also recalled over salmonella risks.
According to Wolfing, food recalls have been affected greatly by COVID-19, but haven’t consistently increased or decreased in recent years.
“Our current level is significantly lower than it was pre-[COVID-19]. The lowest year was during COVID-19 likely due to shutdowns and decreased production,” Wolfing said. “We’ve had an upward trend since COVID-19, likely due to improved detection methods and increased awareness of allergen contamination.”
Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture regularly issue recalls, Wilfong recommended resources like the FDA’s recall site, where students can sign up for updates. He also stressed the importance of staying informed to avoid health risks.
“You can sign up for [X, formerly called Twitter] updates on the FDA website, and some grocery stores, like H-E-B, offer similar services through their websites,” Wilfong said.
