So what was the major cause of recall in 2018
Food Standards Australia New Zealand has just released the statistics for the Recalls for 2018.
There were 100 recalls for that year, the average of the ten years including 2018 was 67, so there was a significant increase.
Of those 46 were from undeclared allergens, 20 from microbial contamination, 15 from foreign matter and 6 due to incorrect labelling.
Over the last 10 years, undeclared allergens made up 39 percent of all recalls and since 2013 they have been the leading cause of food recalls.
Of the undeclared allergens recalls in 2018, 30 percent were from milk, 18 percent from peanuts, 16 percent had multiple allergens and eight percent were linked to tree nuts. 34 percent of the undeclared allergen recalls were from processed foods, 15 percent from confectionery, and 12 percent from baked goods.
There has been only one recall due to tampering in the last 10 years, the strawberry tampering in 2018.
In 2018, Listeria, salmonella and E.coli were the major causes for the microbial contamination recalls.
Metal was the major cause of the foreign matter recalls in 2018, followed by plastic and glass.