Understanding Food Recalls: A Plain-English Explainer
Food Recalls: what it is, why it matters, and what published guidance actually asks of you.
Recalled foods may already be in your kitchen, so knowing how to check and what to do keeps a public warning from turning into an illness at home.
Key takeaways
- Who oversees recalls: FDA for most foods; USDA for meat, poultry and some egg products
- Class I recall: a reasonable chance the food will cause serious illness or death
- Most useful single change: Sign up for FDA and USDA recall alerts by email or follow them online.
- Commonest mistake: Eating a recalled food because it looks and smells normal.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
The short answer
Actions taken by a company, usually with the FDA or USDA, to remove food from sale because it may be contaminated, mislabeled or otherwise unsafe.
Where it fits
This is part of Food Safety. The published position is set out below, along with what it means day to day.
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Who oversees recalls | FDA for most foods; USDA for meat, poultry and some egg products |
| Class I recall | a reasonable chance the food will cause serious illness or death |
| Class II recall | may cause temporary or medically reversible health problems |
| Class III recall | unlikely to cause illness but violates labeling or manufacturing rules |
| How to match a product | brand, product name, size, lot or UPC code, and use-by dates |
What that means in practice
What that looks like in practice:
- Sign up for FDA and USDA recall alerts by email or follow them online
- Keep packaging or write down lot codes for foods you freeze or repackage
- Return recalled products to the store for a refund or throw them away in a sealed bag
- Clean and sanitize refrigerator shelves, drawers and surfaces the recalled food touched
What gets people into trouble
The pitfalls worth knowing about:
- Eating a recalled food because it looks and smells normal
- Cooking a recalled food to try to make it safe, unless the recall notice says this is enough
- Donating or giving recalled food to others
Related topics
- The Evidence on Memory Problems, Without the Hype (Brain Health)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Supplements and the Liver (Liver Health)
- Reporting Side Effects: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Medicines Safety)
- The Evidence on Reducing Food Waste, Without the Hype (Healthy Recipes)
Where to go next
- The First Steps With Food Recalls
- Food Recalls: Common Questions Answered
- Food Recalls — the reference entry
- Food Safety: The Complete Guide
- Raw Milk: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Eggs and Salmonella: What Published Guidance Supports
When to speak to a doctor
Call your doctor if you ate a recalled food and develop fever, vomiting, diarrhea or muscle aches, or if you are pregnant, older or have a weakened immune system and ate a food recalled for Listeria, even without symptoms. Call 911 for trouble breathing, confusion, fainting or signs of a severe allergic reaction if a recall was for an undeclared allergen.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
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