What to do with a recalled food

A food is recalled when its producer takes it off the market because there's reason to believe it could make people sick. Government agencies sometimes request or require the recall. Common reasons are bacteria such as Salmonella, parasites such as Cyclospora, foreign objects such as broken glass or metal, and a major allergen that isn't on the label. Recalled food is a particular risk for people who are pregnant and people with weakened immune systems, from age, a chronic illness or medical treatment.

Who announces a recall

Food recalls and public health alerts come from two federal agencies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The USDA's recalls of meat and poultry carry the establishment number printed inside the USDA mark of inspection. Your state or local health department may post recalls for your state too.

The USDA sorts its recalls into three classes. Class I is high or medium risk, Class II is low risk and Class III is marginal risk.

What you need

• The recall notice
• The package, with its label and dates
• Dish soap and hot water
• Unscented liquid chlorine bleach, for the sanitizing step

Steps

1. 1

   Match every detail

   Compare the notice with the package: the brand, the product name, the use-by or freeze-by date and, on meat and poultry, the establishment (EST) number inside the USDA mark of inspection. A product that doesn't match every detail isn't part of the recall.

   5 min

2. 2

   Leave it closed

   If it matches, don't open it or eat it, and don't serve it to anyone else.

   1 min

3. 3

   Return it or throw it out

   Take it back to the store for a refund, or throw it away following the instructions in the recall notice so no one eats it.

   5 min

4. 4

   Clear out what it touched

   If the food was opened, prepared or kept in the fridge, throw it out and clear off the counters and the fridge drawers and shelves.

   10 min

5. 5

   Wash in hot soapy water

   Wash the cookware, utensils and cutting boards, the counters and the fridge drawers and shelves in hot, soapy water.

   15 min

6. 6

   Sanitize and air-dry

   Wipe the surfaces, shelves and drawers, and rinse the dishes and cookware, with a sanitizing solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water. Let everything air-dry.

   9 min

When the recall is for an allergen

A food recalled for an undeclared allergen is a risk for anyone in the house with that allergy. If you haven't served it yet, throw it away or return it for a refund. If you have, wash the plates, pots and pans, utensils and counters it may have touched with soap and water.

A public health alert

Sometimes an agency issues a public health alert instead of a recall. An alert usually comes when a recall can't be recommended. One example is an outbreak of foodborne illness whose source hasn't been found yet. Another is illness that comes from handling a product the wrong way. Each alert says what to do with the product it names.

Hearing about recalls

The FDA sends recall, market withdrawal and safety alert emails to anyone who signs up on its recalls page. Its recall list is searchable by product type, from food and drinks to drugs, medical devices and cosmetics, and entries stay up for three years before they move to the archive. The USDA posts its meat and poultry recalls on a recalls page of its own. Recalls of pet food are covered in Checking pet food and treats for recalls.