How we track recalls

Where the data comes from

FDA: the openFDA enforcement API, which publishes the weekly FDA Enforcement Report for drugs, medical devices and foods as structured data. A recall appears once the FDA has classified it, which is often two to six weeks after the company begins the recall. The FDA describes openFDA data as “not validated” and it can lag the FDA press releases; every page here links the official notice for that reason.

USDA FSIS: the FSIS Recall API, which covers meat, poultry and processed egg products, including Public Health Alerts issued when a recall cannot be requested. FSIS notices are published the same day as the press release.

How often it updates

Both sources are checked twice a day. Each check re-pulls the last 45 days so that status changes (Ongoing, Completed, Terminated), added lots and corrected fields are captured, not just new recalls. The footer of every page shows the date of the newest record in the database.

How records become pages

Each record is classified with published rules, not by hand and not by a language model:

• Product category (food): about 110 categories in 13 groups, matched in order against the product description, most specific first (“cream cheese” before “cheese”). Records that match nothing go to “Other”.
• Drug name and class: generic name from the FDA record, with salt suffixes removed, and 27 drug classes matched on substance names and dosage forms.
• Device type: 20 device categories.
• Reason: 32 reasons, from Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli through each undeclared allergen, foreign material, labeling errors, sterility, potency and device malfunction.
• Retailers: 34 stores, matched on the description, distribution text and the recalling firm, including own-label brands such as Great Value, Kirkland Signature, Marketside and Good & Gather.
• States: two-letter codes and full names parsed from the distribution pattern, with a nationwide flag when the record says so.
• Title: the product first, then “recalled”, then the company when it is not already in the product name. Recall numbers keep every URL unique and permanent.

What “Class” means

Class I: a reasonable probability that use will cause serious adverse health consequences or death. Class II: may cause temporary or medically reversible harm, or the probability of serious harm is remote. Class III: not likely to cause adverse health consequences. USDA FSIS uses the same scale and adds Public Health Alerts.

Limits you should know about

• The FDA lists a recall only after classifying it. A recall that is in the news today may not be here for several weeks.
• The classifier is rule-based. Unusual products can be mis-filed; the raw description is shown on every page so you can judge for yourself, and corrections are welcome.
• Distribution patterns are written by the recalling company and vary in detail. “Nationwide” means the record says so; a short list of states does not guarantee the product reached nowhere else.
• We do not verify recall records independently. The agency notice is the authoritative source.

Questions or corrections: [email protected].