Are food recalls and outbreaks on the rise? FDA says U.S. food supply still "one of the safest in the world"

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that the U.S. food supply is still "one of the safest in the world," in the wake of a number of foodborne disease outbreaks affecting items ranging from organic carrots to deli meats to McDonald's Quarter Pounders. E. coli, listeria and other contaminants have sickened thousands of people and forced a number of recalls in recent months.

But despite those high-profile examples, data cited by the FDA suggest recalls were not unusually high this past year. 

For the fiscal year that ended in September, there were 179 recalls deemed by the agency's food and cosmetics arm as being for the highest-risk classification of issues, like potential contamination with bacteria or undeclared allergens.