In the recent months, food recall alerts have started to feel like an increasingly common occurrence. This week, Treehouse Foods Inc., announced it was voluntarily recalling more than 600 varieties of frozen waffles — which were sold under various brand names, including Gather & Good, Kodiak Cakes and Great Value — due to the possibility of listeria contamination.
Then last week, an ongoing listeria recall was reissued to include an additional nearly 2 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry items that may be contaminated, raising the recall to a total of nearly 12 million pounds of product. As Salon reported, the recalled foods, produced by the Oklahoma-based company BrucePac, were sold at major retailers nationwide, including Trader Joe's, Walmart, Aldi, Target, H-E-B, Giant Eagle and Kroger.
Amid the recall alert, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also specified that some of the potentially tainted products had been distributed to schools nationwide.
This series of alarming food recalls has left many parents grappling with a growing sense of unease. Each notification serves as a stark reminder that the meals they prepare for their children — once deemed safe — can suddenly become potential sources of harm, as can school breakfasts and lunches. While food safety experts stress that the recall system functions primarily as a precaution, with only a small fraction of recalled products causing illness, the reality is that parents often bear the emotional toll of these alerts.
However, health and legal experts say there are also steps parents can take to feel more in control of their family’s food safety.
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Amie Alexander, a registered dietitian at Nutri Peak, said first and foremost, consumers shouldn’t feel like they have to panic whenever news of a recall hits the headlines.
“It's overwhelming to think that something as straightforward as the food you're packing for your kids, something you expect to be safe and healthy, could make them sick,” Alexander said. “However, while serious, it's important to remember that the recall system exists as a precaution for consumers.”........