Here's What Caused The First Ever Food Recall In US History

It's never great hearing that a food product you've purchased is being recalled, especially when you've already used some of it. But recalls are a reality, and more importantly, they're ultimately done for the safety of the consumer. Interestingly, the first-ever food recall in the United States was made less than 100 years ago, in 1920. And it was all thanks to improperly canned olives.

In late 1919-early 1920, three major outbreaks of botulism were reported in the U.S. One was of an Italian family who lived in New York City, who lost six of seven family members due to consumption of the olives. Eighteen more consumers died in New York, as well as in Michigan and Ohio, and there were other cases reported across multiple states. Botulism is a deadly condition where the bacteria Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin that attacks the nerves. Symptoms begin within 12 to 36 hours of ingestion, and range from trouble swallowing, speaking, and breathing, to full paralysis.

This put canned food in the spotlight, and threatened the downfall of the whole canning industry, and created massive distrust of canned goods in consumers. So canning industry leaders, most notably from the National Canners Association and California Canners League, came together and brought in a group of scientists in what was called a "botulism commission" to investigate how to eliminate the threat of botulism. They did so through a research and inspection campaign that was to become the cornerstone of the food safety systems we have in place today.

The findings of this group of experts led to the recommendation by the California Department of Public Health that all canneries implement sterilization procedures during the canning process, to ensure that all bacteria were killed. Unfortunately, this was a recommendation and not law, so many canneries omitted this step and botulism remained present.

Leaders in the canning industry then backed an act that would write into law the mandate that all canning operations were legally required to conduct the scientifically-proven sterilization procedures with the necessary equipment. This was approved in 1925 by the California legislature, and with the law being enforced — and canneries inspected to ensure the procedures were being followed — the botulism epidemic came to an end.

While this was the first food recall in American history, with stringent measures being implemented to protect consumers, food recalls do still happen. Between 2020 and 2023 the total number of recalls increased by 20%, with a 35% increase being seen in 2024. The leading cause of these recalls is said to be allergen contamination, which is the presence of an allergen or allergens in foods.