As the year comes to a close, it’s hard to ignore how much instability has impacted efforts to keep our food supply safe. Often, uncertainty leads to hesitation – a tendency to wait and see what changes next before acting. Food safety does not have that luxury.
Recalls sit at the intersection of food safety and uncertainty. They are the moments when systems are tested, often under imperfect conditions. Recalls don’t wait for regulatory clarity or political unification or world peace! Recalls exist precisely because instability exists. If they are handled well, they become one of the clearest ways the food system earns trust. Not through reassurance or messaging, but through consistent, disciplined action that shows consumers their safety comes first, even when conditions are challenging.
I’ve spent enough time in this space to know that food safety is often invisible when it is working as it should. The best outcomes are the ones most people never notice. But when something goes wrong, the impact is immediate and personal. In those moments, when uncertainty takes over, food safety stands on three constants: responsibility, information, and action.
At its core, food safety stands on responsibility. Someone has to be willing to own decisions, to act when information is incomplete, and to do so with care and intent. Food safety stands on information that can be trusted, even when pressure is high and time is short. And it stands on communication that puts people first, not process.
Practically, this shows up in unglamorous but essential ways. Knowing where product data lives and being able to access it quickly. Having clear authority to make recall decisions without confusion or delay. Using systems that allow teams to execute recalls consistently, even when staffing is thin or attention is divided. Communicating clearly with regulators, partners, and consumers without adding noise or uncertainty.
As we look ahead, I don’t expect uncertainty to disappear. If anything, the pace of change will continue. But food safety does not need certainty to function. It needs commitment. There are principles that hold steady even when external factors do not. That steadiness comes from reinforcing the practices that matter in any environment.
I believe that recalls, done well, remain one of the most reliable ways to serve the public and support the systems we all depend on. That belief is what continues to drive this work. It’s why, even when everything else feels unstable, food safety remains something worth standing on.
