US food recall trends shift in 2026 following 2025 spike, new report

A new food-and-beverage recall report from Sedgwick suggests the U.S. recall environment is shifting in 2026 after a 2025 spike, with fewer headline recalls in the first quarter but recalled units still running above the prior quarter.

The report, first covered publicly on June 14 by MySanAntonio and echoed by Delish, points to a market where the number of major recall actions may be easing even as the scale of affected product remains high. That keeps food safety, compliance and disposal costs in focus for manufacturers and retailers.

What the report says

According to the coverage, Sedgwick’s analysis found that 2026 recall activity is changing after last year’s increase. The quarter-by-quarter picture described in the report shows lower recall counts in Q1 2026, but recalled units that were still elevated compared with the previous quarter.

The report also ties part of the shift to tighter FDA and USDA scrutiny. Allergen and labeling issues remain prominent among the recurring causes highlighted in secondary coverage.

Why it matters

Food recalls can remove large volumes of product from the market even when the number of incidents is modest. That creates risk for consumers, who may face exposure to mislabeled or contaminated food, and cost pressure for companies that must pull, dispose of or relabel inventory.

The FDA’s recall portal shows that federal recall actions remain an active part of the regulatory backdrop, underscoring the continuing enforcement and oversight pressure across the food supply chain.

What comes next

The key unanswered question is whether Sedgwick will publish the underlying report in full or whether the numbers will remain limited to the media summaries. It is also worth watching for any new FDA or USDA trend data that confirms or complicates the direction suggested by the report.

Further recall notices in mid-2026 will help show whether allergen and labeling problems continue to drive a large share of the activity.

For now, the report points to a market that may be seeing fewer headline recall events than during the 2025 spike, but still faces elevated product volumes, close regulatory attention and ongoing public-health risk.