Voluntary product recalls

A food recall is a firm’s voluntary removal of distributed food products from commerce when there is a reason to believe that such products are adulterated or misbranded under the provisions of applicable state and federal laws. Recall does not include a market withdrawal or a stock recovery.

Voluntary recalls are the most common method of effectively removing or correcting consumer products in violation of FDA and USDA regulations.

A voluntary recall occurs when the company decides to pull the product from the stream of commerce because of a safety issue. Unsafe food is food that may cause illness or physical harm to a person who consumes it because, for example, it contains pathogenic microorganisms or physical hazards. By law, businesses are legally required to do this or risk paying fines or having their operations shut down entirely.

A firm should initiate a voluntary recall by promptly sending recall communications to each affected direct account, and by issuing a press release or other public notice, if appropriate. FDA considers the date of a firm’s first communication about a recall, either to its direct accounts or to the public, to constitute the date of initiation.
Voluntary product recalls