Food Recalls Are on the Rise. What Happens to the Waste?
October 14, 2025 | Source: Food Dive | by Leslie Nemo
From contaminated cucumbers to mislabeled energy drinks, food recalls have made several headlines this year. Suppliers and distributors likely do the same thing with those items that public health announcements direct shoppers to do: Throw them away.
The Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture together oversaw 294 separate food recalls over the first half of 2025, according to a report from compliance firm Sedgwick. The FDA ordered more than twice as many units — nearly 85 million — be destroyed over the first six months of 2024. USDA recalls affected nearly 1.5 million pounds of food, nearly three times as much as the same time last year
While some companies may look for disposal alternatives, sources say most of those items probably end up in the landfill.