The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates meat, poultry and egg products. FSIS is responsible for ensuring that these products are safe, wholesome and properly labeled. All other food products are regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

What is a food recall?

A food recall involving FSIS regulated products is a voluntary action by a company to remove adulterated or misbranded product from commerce. A recall is intended to protect the public from unsafe and improperly labeled foods.

Who decides when a recall is necessary?

Official producing establishments are required by regulation to develop and maintain a written recall plan detailing how and when they will initiate a recall if necessary. These official establishments are also required to notify FSIS within 24 hours of becoming aware that adulterated or misbranded product entered commerce. Recalls are initiated by the manufacturer or importer of the meat, poultry, or egg product, sometimes at the request of FSIS, when they determine these products are adulterated or misbranded. All recalls are voluntary. However, if a company refuses to recall adulterated or misbranded product available in commerce, then FSIS has the legal authority to detain those products in commerce and, when warranted, to ask the Department of Justice, through USDA’s Office of the General Counsel, to initiate a seizure action and condemn the product to ensure that it is not sold or distributed.

How are unsafe products discovered?

There are three primary means by which unsafe or improperly labeled meat and poultry products come to the attention of FSIS:

• The company that manufactured or distributed the food notifies FSIS of the potential hazard;
• FSIS personnel identify issues as part of inspection activities including routine verification within establishments, test results obtained through FSIS sampling programs, or in-commerce surveillance; and
• Information provided by public health partners such as epidemiological data submitted by State or local public health departments, or other Federal agencies, such as FDA [http://www.fda.gov] or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [http://www.cdc.gov].

When FSIS learns that a potentially unsafe or mislabeled meat, poultry or egg product is in commerce, the Agency initiates a preliminary investigation to determine the best approach for addressing the event.

What occurs during a preliminary investigation?

The preliminary investigation may include a combination of the following steps based on the situation:

• Contacting the manufacturer of the food for more information;
• Reviewing supporting documentation and evidence;
• Interviewing any consumers who allegedly became ill or injured from eating the suspect food;
• Collecting and analyzing food samples;
• Collecting and verifying information about the suspected food and ingredients;
• Discussions with FSIS field inspection and compliance personnel;
• Contacting State and local health departments; and
• Documenting a chronology of events.

How does FSIS notify the public when a product is recalled?

FSIS notifies the public through a recall news release, which includes a list of recalled products and pictures of the product labels.

For every Class I recall, FSIS develops a list of retail consignees that received the recalled products for sale. The list of retail consignees includes the name, street address, city and state of each retail consignee. The retail consignee list is updated periodically as additional retail consignee information becomes available.

The recall news release for Class I and Class II is issued to media outlets in the areas where the product was distributed, and all recall news releases, including those for Class III, are posted on the FSIS website and distributed to individuals who have subscribed to receive updates on recalls through the FSIS website. FSIS also posts the recall information on the social media platform X, on Foodsafety.gov, and on the FSIS FoodKeeper app. The public can request to receive FSIS press releases and recall announcements by subscribing to the Agency's email subscription service.

If the recalled product was purchased by USDA and distributed through a food distribution program, such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), FSIS works closely with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to ensure affected product is appropriately controlled.

What is FSIS' role during a recall?

When the information gathered during the preliminary inquiry indicates a need for further assessment, the FSIS Recall Management and Technical Analysis Staff convenes an Event Assessment Committee. The Committee, consisting of FSIS scientists, technical experts, field inspection managers, enforcement personnel, policy experts and communications specialists, evaluates all relevant information, including the applicable statutory requirements, to determine the Agency’s best approach for addressing a particular event.

If the Event Assessment Committee recommends a recall, the Committee classifies the recall based on the relative health risk, as follows:

• Class I - A Class I recall involves a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
• Class II - A Class II recall involves a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from use of the product.
• Class III - A Class III recall involves a situation where use of the product will not cause adverse health consequences, or the risk is negligible.

The Event Assessment Committee advises the company of its recommendation and also provides an opportunity for the firm to offer any information it wishes FSIS to consider regarding its recommendation for a recall.

How does FSIS ensure that a recall is effective?

FSIS field personnel conduct effectiveness checks to ensure that the recalling firm makes all reasonable efforts to ensure the affected product is removed from commerce. FSIS conducts the effectiveness checks throughout the distribution chain to verify that the recalling firm has been diligent in notifying their consignees of the need to retrieve and control recalled product, and that the consignees responded accordingly.

If FSIS determines that the recalling firm has been successful in contacting its consignees and has made all reasonable efforts to retrieve and control products, the Agency notifies the firm that the recall is complete, and no further action is expected.

Does FSIS keep documentation on recalls?

The Recall Management and Technical Analysis Staff maintains comprehensive case files for all recalls coordinated by FSIS. Information on open and closed recalls and public health alerts can be found on the FSIS website.

How can consumers identify recalled products?

In each recall release, FSIS includes as much relevant detail as available to assist consumers in identifying the product subject to recall, including product labels, lot codes, “best by” or “use by” dates and establishment numbers when available. Consumers should review this information carefully when determining whether products in their possession are subject to a recall. 

Containers of meat, poultry and egg products may be labeled with a USDA mark of inspection and establishment (EST) number, which is assigned to the establishment where the product was produced.

The establishment number may appear on the package within the USDA mark of inspection such as pictured in the sections below. It may also appear elsewhere on the exterior of the package container or package labeling (for example, on the lid of a can) if shown in a prominent and legible manner and in a size sufficient to ensure easy visibility and recognition.

Where can consumers find information on recalls?

For additional information on recalls of food and other products, consumers may receive information from the following:

• Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET (English or Spanish), or email at MPHotline@usda.gov.
• AskUSDA.gov (knowledge base, live chat during Hotline hours, and submit a question).
• FSIS recall webpage.
• Via email subscription on the FSIS website.