Since August 9, around forty cheeses have been recalling by the authorities throughout France. Made by a Creuse cheese dairy, these lots have been marketed in many brands, such as Leclerc, Lidl, Aldi, Carrefour or Us U. The reason: suspicions of contamination to Listeria, a bacteria that can cause serious symptoms. Twenty-one case of listeriosis, including eighteen since June, have been identified by Public Health France and “A possible link” was established with the consumption of these cheeses, according to a joint press release from the Ministry of Agriculture. Among the people affected, two are dead.
A month earlier, on July 9, Mesons de Provence sold in bulk in the Carrefour group stores were also affected by a recall. This time, the cause was too high a pesticide residue, found on the fruits in question. At the sight of this information, Philippe, an exasperated northern reader, comments on Facebook: “Can you give us the list of all the food products that we can still eat?” (…) The list will be shorter. ” The sarcastic user seems to summarize the feeling of many consumers perfectly, while the shelves of supermarkets are regularly targeted by product reminders.
More and more food reminders?
In 2024, the public platform CONSO recall, which centralizes all alerts, identified 2,087 food reminders, between five and six per day. This volume impresses, but it is lower than that of 2021, the first year of existence of the system, where 3,247 reports had been recorded, a decrease of 36% in three years. Since the opening of the platform, 14,965 reminders have been published, including 11,228 in food. However, the figures left slightly up last year: 2,151 food reminders in 2024, against 2,025 in 2023, an increase of 6% in one year.
The specialized media food process, which follows these data months per month and is the source of an observatory of product reminders, notes that since the beginning of 2025, at least 537 food sheets have already been published. The examples follow one another: small pots for babies nestlé recalled on April 20, 2025 for toxins; Strawberry jam placed in the viewfinder on April 22; Gerblé cookies incriminated on April 23, because it is suspected of containing plastic pieces.
On a reminder.conso.gouv.fr, the alert sheets accumulate over the days. A reminder comes when a product has a health danger. If he has not yet been marketed, we are talking about withdrawal. If it is already sold, the consumer must bring it back in store or destroy it. The causes are multiple: pathogenic bacteria as Listeria,, Salmonella Or Escherichia coliforeign bodies (glass, plastic), labeling failure or exceeding pesticide thresholds and prohibited additives.
Why so many reminders? “You can have different cakes or different pizzas made in the same factory based on a contaminated milk or flour. Depending on the number of lots in which these products have been used, you will have a very large number of references concerned ”exhibits Émilie Tafournel, quality director within the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, interviewed by TF1 during a report shot in August 2024.
Most of the problems are noted by the manufacturers themselves, who must then alert the health authorities. Consumers can also report a product. Yvan Chamielec, head of the quality department at Monoprix, “Can be called at any time of the day or night if a manufacturer or a consumer brings him a problem”also illustrates TF1. The expert continues: “Once the store receives the message, it must remove the product from the shelves and reserves to isolate and destroy them.” In parallel, inspectors of the Departmental Directions for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) also make surprise visits. Set in May 2023, their objective is to drastically increase the number of controls to reach a total of 100,000 per year.
Sensitive products and public concerns
Dairy products represent 26%of food reminders, followed by meat (21%) and seafood (7%). Overflowed meats, raw milk cheeses and fresh fish are particularly vulnerable. The bacteria in question often cause diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. If the majority of cases are mild, certain contamination can be fatal. In June 2025, a 12-year-old girl died in Saint-Quentin, in Aisne, after eating a product contaminated by the bacteria E. coli.
The causes can also surprise: roasted chicken cooked with a forgotten cleaning lozenge, chainsaw with defective brakes, CBD candies too dosed in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), shrimp carrying a bacterium nicknamed “flesh eating” (vibrio vulnificus), which can be dangerous in certain cases. Because remember, 75% of the reminders concern food, but all sectors can be affected, from the automobile to hygiene and beauty. Among the most striking examples, a large number of manufacturers had to recall their models equipped with defective Takata airbags, while more than 640,000 vehicles designed by the Stellantis group or Toyota had to be recalled, at the end of July, for a risk of engine failure, for example.
“I systematically look at the consumption recall site before cooking fish or cheese. We are afraid of getting sick for a simple meal. ”
A reminder can be triggered by an industrialist, a distributor, an importer, the authorities (Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Repression of Frauds, Directorate General of Food) or even an individual through the Signal.Conso.gouv.fr site. In the event of confirmed risk, the manufacturer must publish the information. If he does not do so, he risks five years in prison and up to 10% of his annual turnover.
Reminders worry the public. “I systematically look at the consumption recall site before cooking fish or cheese. We are afraid of getting sick for a simple meal ”says Élodie, mother of two in Toulouse. For his part, Marc, retired in Marseille, admits: “Before, I gave up on brands. Today, I read each label and avoid certain products. It’s tiring, but I don’t want to finish in the hospital. ”
Figures to be interpreted with caution
The increase in reminders has several causes. “Regulatory requirements are strengthened. For chemical contaminants, limits are lowered, whether for mycotoxins, pesticides … and the panel of sought -after molecules increases, we hear more and more about PFAS “indicates Stéphanie Perraut, deputy editor -in -chief of food process, interviewed by RMC. In fact, globalization introduces in France prohibited substances here, but sometimes used elsewhere, such as pesticides.
Climate change also plays and “Promotes the multiplication of certain bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi”adds Stéphanie Perraut. However, the Ministry of Agriculture nuance, still with RMC: “For the same alert, there may be (several) files according to the number of commercial presentations of the product subject to the alert.” The number of published sheets does not directly reflect the actual number of non-conformities. Controls are multiplying, often with laboratories integrated into factories. “Fatally, the more we search the more we find”summarizes Stéphanie Perraut.
Industrialists prefer to recall quickly rather than risking a health scandal like those linked to lactalis milk in 2017, the Buitoni pizzas (from the Nestlé group, indicted) or the Kinder chocolates in 2022. In 2021, the Ethylene oxide scandal had caused a record: 3,247 reminders in one year. For Foodwatch, non -governmental consumer defense organization interviewed by Le Figaro, this system remains imperfect. “Reminders intervene when it is too late”deplores Ingrid Kragl, spokesperson for the NGO. It requires a overhaul of the system to act before placing on the market.
There remains a major problem: consumers must still be informed in time. Today, many reminders go unnoticed, reported by a discreet poster in store or relegated to an official site that is not very consulted. Result: dangerous products continue to be used or swallowed.
According to the press service of the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Suppression of Frauds, quoted by Ouest-France, “Reflections are underway to strengthen communication around these reminders”. The complete Breton daily: “Among the tracks mentioned: allow you to scan your receipt, flash the barcode of a product or filter the reminders by sign.” Some large areas are already testing interactive terminals allowing customers to consult the alerts directly.
