In 202t, the number of meat and poultry recalls for bacterial contamination reached a historic low, according to an analysis by the Food Poisoning Bulletin. Last year, meat and poultry producers issued 43 recalls, but just five were for bacterial contamination, the lowest total in two decades of available data, excluding 2020.
2025 Recalls for Meat and Poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS), which regulates meat and poultry, divides recalls into three classes. Products subject to Class 1 recalls pose the highest risk -serious illness or death. In 2025, 39 of the 43 recalls issued for meat and poultry products were Class 1. They fell into the following categories:
- Foreign Matter (13)
- Misbranding/Undeclared Allergen (10)
- Lack of inspection (10)
- Bacterial Contamination (5)
- Import violations (3)
- Other (2)
31,000 Tons of Corn Dogs
The Foreign Matter category had the most recalls and the largest recalls by weight, thanks to two large recalls for corn dogs.
- On September 27, 2025, Hillshire Brands Company of Haltom City, Texas, recalled approximately 58,000,000 pounds of corn dog and sausage on a stick products that may have had wood pieces in the batter.
- And, on October 4, Foster Poultry Farms of Livingston, California, recalled more than 4 million pounds of chicken corn dogs for the same reason.
The companies received multiple complaints. At least five people were injured.
Recalls Linked to Pathogens
Four of the five bacterial-contamination recalls issued last year were for Listeria, and one was for E. coli. There were no meat or poultry recalls for Salmonella in 2025.
A Listeria recall for Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo was linked to the deadliest outbreak of the year. The fettuccine meals were produced by Fresh Realm and sold by major retailers throughout the U.S., including Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Albertsons, Kroger, and Sprouts.
The ongoing Fresh Realm Listeria outbreak includes 27 illnesses in 18 states. Six people have died.
Results from genetic testing on Listeria extracted from a pasta sample indicated that it matched the outbreak strain cultured from patients. This means that the pasta is the contaminated ingredient in these prepared meals and that in 2025, no outbreaks were linked to contaminated meat or poultry, which is uncommon. During the last two decades, that has happened twice before.
Public Health Alerts
In 2025, USDA FSIS issued 24 public health alerts (PHAs). The agency uses them to notify the public about a problem with a meat or poultry product when it has decided not to request a recall from a company or when a company has refused to do so. They are often issued when the product is no longer for sale.
PHAs have become more common in recent years. Before the pandemic, the 10-year annual average for these notifications was about four; now it’s 20.
USDA FSIS issued 24 PHAs in 2025, up from 19 in 2024. Eight of those were for bacterial contamination, six for Listeria, and two for E. coli.