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A food recall can begin with a single test result, customer complaint, or labeling error. However, its impact can quickly move across an entire supply chain.  Products may need to be located, isolated, removed, and communicated to customers within hours. Meanwhile, businesses must determine exactly which lots, facilities, and customers were affected. That makes food recall data important beyond the headlines. The CDC estimates that foodborne illnesses affect 48 million Americans every year. About 128,000 people are hospitalized, while approximately 3,000 die. So, are food recalls actually becoming more common? Five years of data provide a more complicated answer. Food Recalls Have Increased Since 2021 FDA-regulated food and beverage recall activity reached a low point in 2021. That year, the FDA recorded 414 recall events, the lowest total in 11 years. Since then, recall activity has generally climbed. In 2022, recalls increased only slightly to 423 events. However, the number of affected units increased dramatically. FDA food recalls involved 416.9 million units in 2022, a 700.6% increase from 2021. Then, recall frequency accelerated. The FDA recorded 506 food recalls in 2023, which represented a five-year high at the time. Activity eased slightly during 2024, falling to 495 recalls. Still, that remained well above 2021 and 2022 levels. Then came 2025. The FDA recorded 571 food recalls, the highest annual number in nine years. That was 15.4% higher than 2024. Overall, FDA food recall events increased almost 38% between 2021 and 2025. Is 2026 Continuing the Same Trend? At first glance, 2026 may feel even more active. Yet the numbers tell an interesting story. During the first half of 2026, the FDA recorded 266 food recalls. That compares with 270 during the same period in 2025. Therefore, recall frequency has actually remained almost flat. The number of FDA-regulated units affected also decreased 18.7%. It fell from 84.57 million to 68.76 million units. USDA-regulated foods tell a different story. USDA recalls fell from 24 events in early 2025 to only nine in early 2026. However, those recalls affected 37.18 million pounds of food. That represents a 2,432% increase in recalled pounds year over year. One incident was responsible for nearly all of that increase. In early 2026, Ajinomoto Foods North America recalled approximately 36.99 million pounds of frozen chicken and pork products. The recall followed consumer complaints about pieces of glass in the food. The expanded recall included multiple frozen products sold under several brands nationwide This highlights an important point. Recall frequency does not always show the full level of risk. One contaminated ingredient can enter several products, brands, facilities, and distribution channels. As a result, one incident can create an enormous supply chain impact. What Causes Most Food Recalls? The causes have remained surprisingly consistent. A recent study analyzed 26,877 FDA food recall records between 2012 and 2024. Bacterial pathogens caused 37.6% of those recalls. Undeclared allergens represented another 33.6%. Foreign materials accounted for 7.6%. Process, regulatory, and manufacturing deviations represented another 4%. Those patterns remain visible today. In 2025, undeclared allergens caused 209 FDA food recalls. Bacterial contamination caused 156, while foreign materials caused 72. During the first half of 2026, allergens again ranked first with 105 recalls. Bacterial contamination followed with 61 recalls. Salmonella alone was connected to 39 of those events. These numbers show that many recalls begin with familiar risks. Undeclared Allergens A formula may change while an older label remains in production. A supplier can also change an ingredient specification without information reaching every downstream team. Because of this, label verification and controlled product specifications are critical. Bacterial Contamination Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli remain significant food safety risks. Strong sanitation programs, environmental monitoring, preventive controls, and supplier oversight can reduce exposure. Foreign Materials Glass, metal, plastic, wood, and other materials can enter products during processing. Equipment maintenance and foreign-material detection systems can help identify problems earlier. How Can Food Businesses Reduce Recall Risk? No food safety system can eliminate every possible recall. However, businesses can reduce both the likelihood and potential size of an incident. First, supplier verification matters. For imported foods, FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Programs require risk-based supplier verification activities for covered importers. Next, businesses need accurate product and lot information. Knowing where a product came from is only the beginning. Teams should also know where every affected lot was shipped. Traceability can turn days of investigation into much faster identification and isolation. FDA’s Food Traceability Rule reflects this direction. It requires certain businesses to maintain data around Critical Tracking Events and Key Data Elements. The rule is intended to support faster identification and removal of contaminated foods. Enforcement is currently delayed until July 20, 2028. Finally, recall preparation should happen before a problem exists. Mock recalls can test whether teams can identify affected lots, inventory, customers, and suppliers quickly. The faster that information moves, the smaller an incident may remain.

A shipment arrives at a U.S. port after weeks at sea. For the importer, the journey may feel nearly complete. However, the port is where another complex process begins. Cargo must clear the terminal, documentation must match, and transportation must stay on schedule. At the same time, new regulations are reshaping these operations. In 2026, cybersecurity, environmental compliance, vessel fees, and port billing practices are receiving greater federal attention. For importers and distributors, these changes matter because they can influence costs, delays, and daily supply chain decisions. Several rules are already active. Meanwhile, other important deadlines are approaching. Cybersecurity Is Becoming Part of Everyday Port Operations For years, port security focused heavily on physical access, cargo, and vessel safety. Today, the digital side of port operations carries similar importance. Terminals depend on connected systems for cargo tracking, gate access, communications, equipment, and scheduling. As technology expands, cyber risks expand with it. Because of this shift, the U.S. Coast Guard introduced new cybersecurity requirements for regulated vessels and facilities. The rule became effective in July 2025. Among other requirements, covered organizations must report certain cyber incidents. Employees must also complete recurring cybersecurity training. However, the transition is still underway. By July 2027, covered operators must complete cybersecurity assessments and designate cybersecurity officers. They must also submit formal cybersecurity plans. As a result, cybersecurity is moving closer to everyday operational planning. For logistics teams, that means vendor systems and digital processes deserve more attention than before. Port Delays Can Still Become Expensive Now imagine that same shipment reaches the terminal, but the container cannot move immediately. An appointment may be unavailable. The terminal could experience congestion. Equipment might also be difficult to return. Yet, detention or demurrage charges may continue accumulating. This issue has received significant attention from the Federal Maritime Commission. In 2024, the FMC introduced stronger billing requirements for these charges. Qualifying invoices generally must arrive within 30 calendar days. They must also contain specific information explaining the charge. Later, a federal court removed one section covering who could receive certain invoices. However, other billing requirements remain active. More recently, the FMC reinforced that these fees should support cargo movement. Therefore, documentation has become even more valuable. Importers should track terminal availability, appointments, closures, pickup attempts, and equipment return conditions. If a dispute appears later, those records can help explain what actually happened. Environmental Rules Are Entering Their Next Phase At the same time, environmental regulation is becoming another major part of maritime planning. The Environmental Protection Agency finalized updated vessel discharge standards in 2024. These standards address ballast water, bilgewater, biofouling, and other operational discharges. However, the framework still requires Coast Guard implementation and enforcement rules. According to the EPA, existing requirements remain active during the transition. Therefore, late 2026 is an important period for vessel operators to watch. As new guidance develops, carriers may need to adjust procedures, equipment, or compliance planning. Those changes may eventually influence the companies relying on their services. Why These Changes Matter for PortMiami These national developments become especially important when viewed through PortMiami. PortMiami connects South Florida with Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and other global markets. It also plays an important role in food and refrigerated cargo. PortMiami is also investing in environmental infrastructure. In 2024, the port launched shore power at several cruise berths. According to Miami-Dade County, connected vessels can significantly reduce emissions while docked. This project is separate from federal vessel discharge regulations. Still, it shows how port operations are moving toward cleaner technologies. Together, these developments suggest that compliance and sustainability will become more connected over time. PortMiami is a major international trade hub, connecting South Florida with markets in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. What Should Importers and Distributors Do Now? For most companies, the goal is not to predict every regulatory change. Instead, businesses can prepare for the areas most likely to affect daily operations. First, companies should review cybersecurity procedures across carriers, terminals, and logistics partners. Next, teams should improve documentation for container availability, appointments, and equipment returns. Businesses should also monitor the November 2026 USTR deadline. Meanwhile, companies working closely with vessel operators should follow new environmental guidance. Above all, compliance should become part of normal logistics planning. That approach is especially important for companies moving time-sensitive food products.

A food shipment often reaches the United States before its final destination becomes clear. It may require inspections, cold storage, relabeling, or customer approval. Meanwhile, tariffs, freight costs, seasonal demand, and strict delivery schedules continue placing pressure on margins. The financial challenge begins before the product generates revenue. Importers may owe duties while inventory remains in storage or awaits allocation. Therefore, customs timing can directly affect cash flow, purchasing capacity, and customer service. In 2025, U.S. agricultural imports reached $212 billion, nearly matching the 2024 record of $213 billion. Processed foods and beverages continue representing a significant share of that activity. As import volumes grow, companies need greater control over when customs costs become final. Foreign-trade zones provide that control. They can delay duty payments, support re-exports, reduce processing fees, and improve inventory flexibility. For food and beverage companies, those benefits can strengthen daily operations and long-term growth. What Is a Foreign-Trade Zone? A foreign-trade zone is a designated U.S. location supervised by Customs and Border Protection. Within an activated zone, foreign merchandise receives special customs treatment. Companies pay duties when products enter U.S. commerce, rather than when they first arrive. If companies re-export those products, U.S. duties generally do not apply. Companies may also store, inspect, relabel, repack, sample, test, or destroy merchandise inside the zone. However, production activities require approval from the Foreign-Trade Zones Board. The program already plays a major role in U.S. trade. In 2024, U.S. FTZs received $964 billion in merchandise. During the same year, FTZ exports reached $134 billion. These numbers show that FTZs support much more than isolated customs transactions. They now support major warehousing, distribution, and international trade activity. Why FTZs Are Relevant to Food and Beverage Companies Food and beverage inventory rarely follows a simple path from port to customer. Products often move through storage, inspections, quality reviews, relabeling, and customer allocation. At the same time, demand may shift after the shipment arrives. Inventory could move to domestic customers, cruise lines, hospitality accounts, or export markets. An FTZ gives importers time to make those decisions before duties become final. Therefore, customs treatment can follow the product’s actual destination. That flexibility reduces rushed decisions and unnecessary costs. It also helps companies manage one inventory pool across several markets. 1. Duty Deferral Protects Working Capital Under a traditional import model, duties become payable when merchandise enters U.S. customs territory. This can tie up cash before the inventory begins generating revenue. An FTZ changes that timing. Companies pay duties only when products leave the zone for domestic consumption. As a result, importers keep more cash available during storage, inspections, allocation, and quality reviews. That liquidity can support purchasing, operations, and customer demand. Consider a distributor holding $8 million in average foreign inventory. At a 5 percent effective duty rate, the company defers $400,000. With an 8 percent capital cost, that timing creates approximately $32,000 in annual financial value. The company still pays duties on domestic withdrawals. However, it pays them when inventory begins moving toward revenue. The benefit grows when products remain in storage longer. This structure can also support seasonal purchasing, advance inventory programs, and large-volume buying opportunities. 2. Re-Exports Can Eliminate U.S. Duties Many food distributors serve domestic and international customers from the same facility. Their customers may include cruise vessels, Caribbean destinations, overseas hotels, and international distributors. However, companies may not know the final destination when inventory first arrives. An FTZ allows that merchandise to remain unentered until the destination becomes clear. If the company re-exports the inventory, U.S. duties generally do not apply. This creates a clear advantage for businesses serving several markets. Other cases may support cruise operations or export orders. The distributor pays duties only on inventory entering domestic commerce. Therefore, the company keeps one flexible inventory pool while avoiding unnecessary duties on exported products. 3. Weekly Entry Can Reduce Processing Fees FTZ savings can also come from customs processing, not only tariff treatment. This difference becomes important for high-volume importers. The Merchandise Processing Fee applies to many formal customs entries. For fiscal year 2026, the rate is 0.3464 percent. The minimum fee is $33.58, while the maximum reaches $651.50 per formal entry. Eligible FTZ operators may combine qualifying withdrawals into one weekly entry. That change can create substantial savings. Assume a distributor files ten large entries each week. Without weekly entry, annual maximum processing fees could reach $338,780. With one consolidated weekly entry, those fees could fall to $33,878. The annual difference would reach approximately $304,902. For low-duty food products, this benefit may exceed direct tariff savings. Therefore, every FTZ feasibility study should examine entry frequency. A low tariff rate does not always mean limited FTZ value. 4. Documented Waste May Reduce Duty Exposure Food inventory does not always reach the customer. Products may become damaged during handling, inspection, repacking, storage, or temperature deviations. Without the right structure, companies may still owe duties on inventory that never produces revenue. FTZ procedures can reduce duties on approved waste or destroyed merchandise. However, companies must follow customs requirements and document every adjustment correctly. This includes destruction, loss, inventory movement, and final disposition. The benefit can become especially important for perishable products and high-duty ingredients. Still, normal commercial shrinkage does not automatically qualify. Strong inventory controls remain essential. They protect compliance while helping companies capture the available financial benefit. The FTZ Program Has Expanded With Global Trade The growth of the FTZ program reflects its increasing role in modern supply chains. FTZ merchandise receipts reached $964 billion in 2024. That figure increased from $238 billion in 2000. The change represents fourfold growth and an average annual rate of approximately 6 percent. During the same period, FTZ exports increased from $15 billion to $134 billion. That represents nearly ninefold growth. The average annual export growth rate reached approximately 9.6 percent. These figures show how companies increasingly use FTZs for complex supply chains. For food companies, the warehousing share deserves particular attention. In 2024, nearly two of every five FTZ dollars

Behind every meal served at sea is a complex supply chain that requires careful planning, reliable logistics, and strong collaboration between cruise lines and their suppliers. Unlike land-based foodservice, cruise operations have limited opportunities to restock once a ship leaves port. Every product must arrive on time, meet detailed specifications, and comply with food safety and import requirements. That level of precision cannot be achieved through transactions alone. It requires suppliers who actively contribute to planning, problem-solving, and long-term success. As the cruise industry continues to grow, these relationships have become more important than ever. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the industry welcomed 34.6 million passengers in 2024, with continued growth expected in the coming years. As passenger volumes increase, supply chains must become even more resilient and responsive. Cruise Supply Chains Leave Little Room for Error Cruise food procurement is unlike any other segment of the food industry. Every sailing depends on thousands of products arriving at the right port, at the right time, and in the right condition. Procurement teams coordinate deliveries across multiple countries, suppliers, and regulatory environments while supporting consistent dining experiences across an entire fleet. Every turnaround day is a race against the clock. Cruise lines have only a limited window to receive, inspect, and load the products needed for the next sailing. Unlike restaurants or hotels, cruise ships cannot simply place another order when inventory runs low. Once a vessel departs, the opportunity to correct a supply issue may not come for several days. This is why collaboration starts well before products are loaded onto a ship. Suppliers and procurement teams must work together to anticipate challenges, share information, and make informed decisions throughout the planning process. Suppliers Bring Valuable Market Intelligence One of the greatest contributions a supplier can make is market knowledge. Suppliers often recognize changes in availability before they impact operations. They monitor harvest conditions, production capacity, transportation challenges, labor shortages, and changing regulations that can influence supply. During the MHA conference, Vina Jumpp, Associate Vice President of Food, Beverage, Hotel, Gallery and Private Destination Procurement at Royal Caribbean Group, identified import restrictions as one of the industry’s biggest sourcing challenges. As regulations evolve across different countries, procurement teams increasingly rely on suppliers to provide insight into local markets and available alternatives. This information allows cruise lines to adjust sourcing strategies before disruptions occur. Rather than reacting to shortages, procurement teams can plan proactively with suppliers who understand both regional conditions and long-term market trends. Before a new product reaches a cruise ship, it often goes through multiple tastings, evaluations, and approval stages involving procurement, culinary, and operations teams. Compliance Requires Shared Responsibility Food safety and regulatory compliance depend on collaboration throughout the supply chain. Cruise lines rely on suppliers to provide accurate documentation, maintain product integrity, and support complete traceability from origin to delivery. As traceability requirements continue to evolve, information sharing becomes even more important. Regulations such as the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) reinforce the need for detailed records across the supply chain. Organizations that work closely with their suppliers are better positioned to meet these requirements while maintaining operational efficiency. Turning Collaboration into Action At True Grade, our role extends beyond sourcing products. We work closely with manufacturers around the world to identify innovative products, monitor market conditions, and evaluate new opportunities that align with our customers’ evolving needs. One way we support this process is through continuous product evaluations and tastings. Our sourcing and culinary teams regularly review new products from existing and prospective suppliers before presenting them to cruise line procurement and culinary teams. This allows customers to evaluate products that meet their quality standards while introducing new ideas that can enhance onboard menus. We also recognize that cruise operations require consistency throughout the year. Seasonal changes, shifting market conditions, and global supply challenges can all affect product availability. By maintaining strong relationships with a diverse supplier network and continuously monitoring sourcing markets, we help ensure our customers have access to the products they need, regardless of the season or market conditions. For us, supplier collaboration is not a single step in the procurement process. It is an ongoing commitment to helping cruise lines maintain reliable supply chains, support consistent guest experiences, and stay prepared for changing market conditions throughout the year.

Every year on June 8, World Ocean Day highlights one of the most important resources on the planet. The ocean does far more than support marine life. It feeds billions of people, powers global trade, regulates the climate, and supports industries that impact everyday life. From seafood supply chains to international shipping routes, much of the world’s economy depends on healthy oceans. World Ocean Day serves as a reminder of that connection. It encourages governments, businesses, and communities to recognize both the value of the ocean and the responsibility to protect it. The Story Behind World Ocean Day World Ocean Day traces its origins back to 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the summit, Canada proposed creating a dedicated day to recognize the ocean’s importance and encourage global action to protect marine ecosystems. The initiative was supported by the Ocean Institute of Canada and the International Centre for Ocean Development. The idea gained momentum over the following years. Environmental organizations, research institutions, and coastal communities began recognizing June 8 through educational events and conservation efforts. However, the day was not officially recognized by the United Nations until 2008, when the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 63/111. The first UN-recognized World Ocean Day was celebrated on June 8, 2009. The journey from proposal to international recognition took nearly two decades, reflecting the long-term commitment required to address ocean-related challenges. The Challenges Facing Our Oceans World Ocean Day is also an opportunity to recognize the growing pressures affecting marine environments. Many of the benefits the ocean provides cannot be taken for granted. Microplastics have been discovered in marine animals at every level of the food chain, from plankton to whales. Overfishing According to the FAO, approximately 35% of global fish stocks are harvested at biologically unsustainable levels. When fish populations decline faster than they can recover, entire marine ecosystems can become unbalanced. This creates long-term risks for both biodiversity and food security. Plastic Pollution An estimated 8 to 12 million metric tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year. Plastic waste has been found in remote deep-sea trenches, Arctic ice, and even seafood consumed by humans. As plastic breaks down into microplastics, it becomes increasingly difficult to remove from marine environments. Ocean Acidification Since the Industrial Revolution, ocean acidity has increased by approximately 30%. This change affects species that rely on calcium carbonate to form shells and skeletons, including oysters, mussels, crustaceans, and coral reefs. The consequences extend beyond marine ecosystems and can directly impact fisheries, aquaculture operations, and coastal economies. Why World Ocean Day Matters World Ocean Day serves as a reminder that the ocean is not separate from everyday life. It supports global food systems, enables international trade, regulates the climate, and sustains countless communities around the world. For businesses involved in food production, distribution, and supply chains, ocean health is closely tied to long-term sustainability and resilience. The challenges facing marine ecosystems are significant, but awareness is an important starting point. Understanding the ocean’s role helps create better decisions across industries, governments, and communities. Every June 8 offers an opportunity to reflect on that connection and recognize the importance of protecting one of Earth’s most valuable resources.