Food Recall Facts and Information You Didn't Know

A food recall is an action taken by a particular firm to remove products from the market. These can be conducted by the firm itself, on request from the FDA, or by FDA order. Generally, when we hear about the FDA “ordering” a recall, it has actually only made a written request. The FDA is only authorized to make an order if a medical device, infant formula, or human tissue products pose a serious health risk. Thus, almost all food recalls are in fact only requests that the manufacturer is complying with.

There are several different types of food recall.

Classes of Food Recall:

Class I Recall: This is a situation in which being exposed to or using a product is likely to cause serious health problems, or even death of the user.

Class II Recall: In this situation, using or being exposed to the product may cause treatable or temporary medical conditions. However, in this class, it's unlikely that people affected by the product will suffer from serious or permanent health problems.

Class III Recall: This is a situation where a product is in violation, but exposure to it or use of it isn't likely to cause health problems.

Market Withdrawal: This happens when a product has only a minor violation. This violation is of the sort that wouldn't be subject to legal action from the FDA, and the product is removed voluntarily. A product which had been tampered with, but showed no problems in manufacturing or distribution, is a case of market withdrawal

If you feel that a product you've bought should be subject to a food recall, you may contact the FDA to report the problem. Any food product is eligible, as well as medical devices, medicine, blood products, and items related to food producing animals. If consumers do not make reports, problems may go unnoticed for a long time. To report an emergency, you should contact the agency's main 24 hour emergency number 301-443-1240. Non emergencies can be directed to your district office consumer complaint coordinator. However, if meat is involved in the problem, you'll have to direct your complaint to the Department of Agriculture, since the FDA does not handle these problems directly.

The FDA is an important regulator of the food we eat. If we were not able to recall products which are in violation of the law, millions of deaths could result. This is why it's always vital to comply with any food recall you see information about, and to report any problems you may discover with a food product.

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