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For much of the nation's food supply, removing unsafe products off of store shelves can take up to 10 months, according to news reports -- even when people are getting sick.
The growing complexity and scope of modern supply chains result in painfully slow product recalls, even when consumer well-being is at stake. For example, in 2009, salmonella-tainted peanuts killed nine people and sickened more than 700 in 46 states, and the resulting nationwide recall cost peanut farmers, their wholesale customers and retailers more than $1 billion in lost production and sales. Tyson Foods' 2019 recall of nearly 12 million pounds of frozen chicken strips also cost the company millions.