A food recall occurs when there is reason to believe that a food may cause consumers to become ill. A food manufacturer or distributor initiates the recall to take foods off the market. In some situations, food recalls are requested by government agencies (USDA or FDA).
Some reasons for recalling food include:
Discovery of an organism in a product which may make consumers sick
Discovery of a potential allergen in a product
Mislabeling or misbranding of food. For example, a food may contain an allergen, such as nuts or eggs, but those ingredients do not appear on the label.
See Recent Recalls View notices of food recalls and alerts from both the FDA and USDA on one page.
Get Automatic Alerts Find out how to get the latest information on food recalls and alerts, including allergy alerts.
Get Food Safety Widget To display the latest recalls and alerts on your Web page, blog, or other site, get the Food Safety Widget. The widget also displays food safety tips.
Major Product Recalls (FDA) Details on the FDA’s involvement with major recalls, such as peanut and pistachio recalls.
Consumer Advisories (FDA) Advisories on recalls and alerts, such as products with E. coli and salmonella.
FDA 101: Product Recalls (FDA) The basics on the recall process for food and other products. Watch the video or read the article (1:51 minutes)
Meat, Poultry, or Egg Products
Current Recalls and Alerts (USDA) Chart lists product and date recalled with links to detailed news releases.
Food Recalls (USDA) Provides valuable information about recalls of meat, poultry, or egg products. Listen to the podcast or read the script (5:22 minutes)
