Darin Detwiler, a food safety expert and professor emeritus at Northeastern University, noted that the U.S. is seeing more recalls affecting multiple states, rather than a small area.

“It is not sterile and should not be treated as inherently safe simply because it is frozen,” says Darin Detwiler, PhD, a Northeastern University professor.

The proposal “raises concerns” about food safety, according to Darin Detwiler, author of the book “Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions” and a professor at Northeastern University. 

NPR’s interview with Darin Detwiler, a professor at Northeastern University and a food industry consultant.

“Looking at the available complete year data, we did see an increase in food recalls in 2025 compared with 2024,” explains Darin Detwiler, Ph.D., a professor at Northeastern University.

Darin Detwiler, a professor at Northeastern University, stressed this: “Geography itself is not a food-safety hazard.”

Darin Detwiler, Ph.D., a professor at Northeastern University, has a similar take. “You are likely OK now, but it is reasonable to be selective,” he says. “Because the affected best-by dates have passed, restaurants should no longer have that recalled lettuce.”

LiveNOW’s Anna Marsick brings Dr. Darin Detwiler from Northeastern University into the conversation to discuss. 

For hot foods, the safest are generally those that are freshly and thoroughly cooked and served immediately, such as “pizza slices coming directly from the oven,” added Dr. Darin Detwiler, a food safety expert and professor at Northeastern University.

Most commercially available hydroponic lettuce in the U.S. is grown indoors using controlled environment agriculture, where growers manage temperature, humidity, lighting, irrigation, and other environmental conditions to optimize the plant’s growth, says Darin Detwiler, PhD, a professor at Northeastern University.