Who it is for: anyone checking a medicine, food, household item, baby product or vehicle, including people who manage medicines or a home for someone else.
How to use it:
- Find the row for your item in the first table.
- Write the item's details in the blank log on this page.
- Search the official site listed. Count it as recalled only if every detail in the notice matches yours.
- If it matches, take the first step shown, then follow the notice's own instructions.
Where to check and what to have in hand
| Item | Search here | Have in hand | First step if it matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prescription or over-the-counter medicine, supplement, cosmetic, medical device | fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts, or the FDA Enforcement Report at accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires | Name, strength, lot number, expiration date | Prescribed medicine or a device you rely on: call your pharmacist or prescriber before you stop it (the same day for a Class I recall). Over-the-counter product: stop using that lot and follow the notice. |
| Packaged food, produce, seafood, infant formula, pet food | foodsafety.gov/recalls-and-outbreaks | Brand, product name, size, "use by" or "best by" date, lot code | Do not open or eat it. Return it or throw it away as the notice says. If it was opened or stored with other food, clean and sanitize what it touched. |
| Meat, poultry, processed egg products | foodsafety.gov/recalls-and-outbreaks | Brand, product name, size, package date | Same as food |
| Toys, baby gear, furniture, appliances, electronics, clothing, other household items | cpsc.gov/Recalls | Brand, model name or number, date code or serial number | Stop using it. Read the remedy before you throw it away, since some refunds need a photo first. Do not sell it. |
| Car or other motor vehicle | nhtsa.gov/recalls (VIN search) | 17-character VIN, from the lower left of the windshield or the registration card | Call a dealer to book the repair. It is free unless the first buyer bought the vehicle more than 15 years before the recall notice. |
| Car seat, tires, vehicle equipment | nhtsa.gov/recalls (search by brand and model) | Model number and date of manufacture | Follow the maker's notice. For tires, the free remedy does not apply if the first buyer bought them more than 5 years before the recall notice. |
| Not sure which agency | recalls.gov | Any of the above | Pick the matching category on the site |
My recall check log
Write on the printed page. Keep it with your receipts or medicine list.
| Date checked | Item | Model, lot number or VIN | Site checked | Result: match, no match or unsure | Next step, and date done |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Words you will see on a notice
- Class I: the most serious. There is a reasonable chance of serious health problems or death.
- Class II: may cause temporary or medically reversible health problems; serious harm is unlikely.
- Class III: not likely to cause health problems, for example a minor labeling error.
- Market withdrawal: removed for a minor problem, or for no violation at all.
- Public health alert (USDA): a warning about a meat, poultry or egg product when there is no recall.
- Product safety warning (CPSC): a hazard warning without a company remedy.
- Consumer level, or retail or wholesale level: a consumer-level recall asks people who already have the product to act. A retail or wholesale recall is about stock on store or warehouse shelves.
If a medicine is recalled: questions for the pharmacist
- Did my prescription come from a recalled lot?
- Can you replace it with a lot that is not recalled, or with the same medicine from another maker?
- Until I have a replacement, should I keep taking what I have?
- Should I bring the old supply back, and will I get a refund or a free replacement?
Report a problem
| Problem with… | Where to report |
|---|---|
| Medicine, medical device, cosmetic | FDA MedWatch online, or 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332), then follow the prompts |
| Food, infant formula, dietary supplement | FDA Safety Reporting Portal, through fda.gov/safety/report-problem-fda |
| Vaccine | VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), linked from the same FDA page |
| Pet food or animal medicine | FDA animal and veterinary reporting, linked from the same FDA page |
| Meat, poultry, processed egg products | USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854 |
| Household or children's product | saferproducts.gov, or CPSC at 800-638-2772 (TTY 800-638-8270). Reports go into a public database. |
| Vehicle, car seat, tire, equipment | nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem, or 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) |
| Illness you think came from food | Your county or city health department |
Get help now
For a medical emergency, call 911. If someone took or swallowed something that may be harmful, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, 24 hours a day). For new symptoms after eating a recalled food or taking a recalled medicine, call your clinician and say which product it was.
Limitations
- No single list covers every recall. FDA's main recall page lists only recalls that had a public notice, not every medicine recall is announced to the public, and NHTSA's VIN search shows only unrepaired recalls from the last 15 years for the brands it lists.
- This card does not replace the instructions in a recall notice, or advice from your clinician or pharmacist about your own medicines or devices.
- Web addresses and phone numbers were checked on October 21, 2026. Agencies sometimes move pages, so if a link fails, start at recalls.gov.
- The card is based on desk research of official agency pages. It does not test or rate any product.
Sources
- Recalls.gov and its email alerts page — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, accessed October 21, 2026.
- Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts and Recalls Background and Definitions — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, accessed October 21, 2026.
- Understanding Drug Recalls: What to Know and What to Do — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, content current as of May 6, 2026.
- 21 CFR Part 7, Enforcement Policy — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, accessed October 21, 2026.
- Report a Problem to the FDA and MedWatch — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, accessed October 21, 2026.
- Recalls and Outbreaks and How to Report a Problem with Food — FoodSafety.gov, accessed October 21, 2026.
- FSIS Directive 8080.1, Revision 8 — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, accessed October 21, 2026.
- Recalls and SaferProducts.gov — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, accessed October 21, 2026.
- Recalls and Report a Safety Problem — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, accessed October 21, 2026.
- 49 U.S.C. 30120, Remedies for defects and noncompliance — U.S. Code (2024 edition) via GovInfo, accessed October 21, 2026.
- Poison Help — Health Resources and Services Administration, accessed October 21, 2026.
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