About 80 percent of all food products are regulated by the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA). The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) regulates meat, poultry and egg products. Both agencies have
regulations governing food production, labeling and recalls.
Rarely does a week go by without reports of a food recall. The
number of annual recalls has more than quadrupled since 2006 when
there were 154 food product recalls. In 2016, there were 650 food
recalls, 540 of which fell under FDA jurisdiction and 110 under the
USDA.
One issue that can lead to a recall is "mislabeling."
Mislabeling occurs when a food product's label does not
accurately reflect its ingredients. A common reason for a recall is
improper identification of allergens. There are more than 160 foods
that can cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies.
The FDA recognizes the eight most common allergenic foods, which
account for 90 percent of allergic reactions to food. Those are
milk, eggs,
