How to Find Recalls

Recalls for consumer goods and food items are issued by the U.S. Government when an item has been deemed to be potentially hazardous to consumers. Pet food, toys, peanut butter - the list of recalled products goes on and on. It can be difficult to stay abreast of the widespread recalls that seem to be cropping up.

Here are some resources to find recalls for food, pet food, toys and baby products, and more:

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet

1. 
    
   Food Recalls - Important info for your family's health!

   FOOD/PET FOOD:
   The U.S. Government's Food Safety & Inspection Service site is an excellent place to get up-to-date food recall information for meat, poultry, and processed egg products. You can find what is currently being recalled as well as search their recall archives. If you want to stay on top of these types of recalls, sign up for their email notification service, and be notified of future recalls and health alerts.
   
   You can also use this site to contact the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline, or report a problem with food.
   
   The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issues recalls and safety alerts. Their front page lists include the most significant product actions of the last 60 days, based on the extent of distribution and the degree of health risk. * Including pet food recalls
   
   Want to know how a product gets recalled? Check out their article FDA 101: From First Alert To Effectiveness Checks.
   
   FoodSafety.gov provides links to the Federal AND State web sites for food safety news and health alerts. This site is the official gateway to Government food safety information.

2. 
    
   Check CPSC for the latest toy & baby recalls

   BABY PRODUCTS & TOYS:
   The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) provides information on all the latest recalls for toys and infant/child products. You can search for recalls by product type or by date. Sign up for their various RSS feeds (child products, household products, outdoor products, or sports & recreation products) or post them on your website/blog to help get the word out.

3. 
    
   SAFERCAR.gov for recall info on vehicles, tires, and child restraints.

   VEHICLE RELATED RECALLS:
   The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides databases for defects and recalls through their Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). ODI conducts defect investigations and administers safety recalls to support the NHTSA’s mission to improve safety on our Nation's highways.
   
   You can find out more at SaferCar.gov for recall and safety information on vehicles, equipment, tires, or child restraint products.

Tips & Warnings

• Subscribe to RSS feeds or newsletters from the various sites to be kept up-to-date.

Resources

• SaferCar.gov
• FDA Pet Food Recall
• CPSC
• FoodSafety.gov

[bobojo]

on 2/23/2009 Very helpful information. Thank you for writting this important article. 5*

[jseven]

on 2/20/2009 This is good to know! Thanks :) 5*RCRR

[crazycatlady]

on 2/18/2009 Don't forget to fill out those pesky registration forms that come with new products too. Some companies may notify you directly, but check out these sites to say on top of things. Great article.

[1InternetSmarty]

on 2/17/2009 Good to know! Thanks for sharing. Five stars.

[MarieSteris]

on 2/16/2009 Great article! It is so important for everyone to know where to find this information!