The U.S. Public Interest Research Group found there are more food recalls today than five years ago, especially regarding meat and poultry.
Among meat and poultry, the number of recalls nearly doubled since 2013.
Diamond Physicians Dr. James said some manufacturing plant workers might not be washing their hands as thoroughly or equipment
"Sometimes, procedures and protocols can be lost, instead of focusing on clean operations when we're trying to make money," said Dr. James.
He said it peaked in 2016, so we're actually seeing less recalls than three years ago.
Dr. James said people really need to take food recalls seriously.
"E. coli, salmonella, these bacteria can cause death and have caused death," said Dr. James.
The study found processed food and produce recalls increased two percent.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die from foodborne disease each year in the United States.
PIRG called for changes to the U.S. food system:
- better testing of irrigation water,
- more stringent inspection and monitoring of food producers,
- improve the systems by which retailers alert customers of recalls and the technologies used to trace contaminated produce and meat through the food supply.
The Johnsonville company just issued a recall for 48,000 pounds of frozen ground pork patties. The "Johnsonville Grillers, Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Flavor" may contain foreign substances, including black rubber. The company received three customer complaints but there are no reported injuries.