There has been an outpouring of recalls in the USA due to lead contamination in the food supply. Lead showing up in food in the United States is the result of overlapping structural problems that have been building for decades, and the recalls you are seeing now are simply the system reacting after the fact rather than preventing contamination in the first place.

At the core, lead is a naturally occurring heavy metal that exists in soil and water, but human activity has dramatically amplified its presence. The legacy of leaded gasoline, old paint, industrial emissions, and contaminated irrigation systems means that farmland across parts of the country still carries trace levels. Crops like root vegetables, grains, and even fruits can absorb lead directly from soil or water, so even "clean" farming practices cannot fully eliminate exposure.

Then you have the infrastructure problem. Much of the United States still relies on aging water systems, including old lead pipes. When that water is used in food processing or irrigation, it becomes another pathway for contamination. This is not theory, we have already seen this play out in places like Flint, and the same risk exists nationwide on a smaller scale.