Consumers Remain Confident Recalls Protect Public Health, But Growing Caution Underscores the Need for Faster, More Precise Traceability

EWING, N.J., Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ninety-four percent of U.S. adults say they are concerned about the frequency of food recalls, up slightly from 93% in 2025, according to a new consumer survey commissioned by GS1 US. At the same time, fewer people believe food recalls are effective in protecting public health and safety, (80% compared to 85% in 2025), underscoring consumers’ diminishing trust in the U.S. food supply.

The survey shows that consumers are increasingly taking broader precautions following food safety incidents:

• 67% have avoided an entire food product category following a recall, up from 60% in 2025.
• 66% are hesitant to purchase the same product or brand again, up from 59% last year.
• 59% have discarded recalled food even when their state or region was not affected, compared with 57% in 2025. Women are especially likely to pull back, with 71% saying they have avoided a whole category, compared with 63% of men.

While only 9% of consumers report that they would never purchase the recalled brand again, those who would consider repurchasing cited several key factors that would influence their decision, including: the time since the recall (39%), severity of the contamination (39%), and recommendations from authorities (35%).

“Food recalls are one of the ways the food safety system works to protect consumers, whether the issue involves contamination, undeclared allergens, foreign objects or mislabeling,” said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US. “The challenge is making recall response more precise so companies can quickly identify and remove affected products while giving consumers clearer information about what is—and is not—impacted. Traceability, supported by common standards and better data sharing across the supply chain, is essential to that effort.”

Regulation aimed at strengthening recall effectiveness and improving food safety will go into effect on July 20, 2028. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (U.S. FDA’s) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Section 204 Food Traceability Rule is designed to improve traceability for high-risk foods, such as leafy greens, eggs and others identified on the FDA’s Food Traceability List, by establishing additional recordkeeping requirements to document their movement through the supply chain. The Rule requires companies subject to the regulation to maintain Key Data Elements associated with Critical Tracking Events and provide information within 24 hours if requested by the U.S. FDA.

GS1 US is helping the food industry prepare by applying GS1 Standards to support supply chain visibility, improve data sharing and enable rapid identification of affected products through ongoing education and guidance, including the FSMA Rule 204 Implementation Guideline. Additionally, as industry adoption of two-dimensional (2D) barcodes, such as QR Codes powered by GS1, advance on product packaging to support consumer engagement and Sunrise 2027 at checkout, recall management becomes a powerful use case: Richer product data, such as batch or lot information, can help trading partners and shoppers access more-precise information when safety issues occur.

For more information about GS1 Standards and food traceability to support FSMA Rule 204, visit www.gs1us.org/fsma. To view the complete survey results, visit www.gs1us.org/foodrecall.

About GS1 US

GS1 US^® enables companies to power their supply chains to deliver safe, consistent, authentic and trusted experiences. Best known as a source for UPC barcodes, GS1 is a not-for-profit, global data standards organization that creates a common language for companies to identify, capture and share trusted data that links their physical and digital supply chains. Millions of businesses around the world power commerce with GS1 Standards. Learn more at www.gs1us.org.

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SOURCE GS1 US