Recall Field Guide

A quick guide to the FDA enforcement fields that appear in Recall Radar, written for people trying to decide whether a record might match something they own or use.

Classification

Class I is the FDA's highest concern recall classification. Class II is usually a lower but still meaningful health-risk classification. Class III or unclassified records may still matter, but the immediate risk signal is usually lower or less fully categorized.

Status

Ongoing means the enforcement record has not been marked completed or terminated in the loaded FDA data. Completed or terminated records may still matter if a recalled product is still in a home, cabinet, freezer, clinic, or workplace.

Product and Firm

The product description and recalling firm are starting points, not proof of a match. Packaging can use brand, distributor, manufacturer, model, strength, size, or private-label names that differ from the short FDA record shown here.

Codes and Quantity

Lot, batch, serial, model, UPC, NDC, expiration, and date codes are often the most important match details. Quantity describes the recalled amount in the FDA record; it is not a count of people affected.

Dates

Recall began is when the recalling firm initiated the recall. Reported is when the enforcement record was reported in the FDA data. Either date can lag behind when a product entered a home, pharmacy, facility, or supply chain.

FDA IDs

The recall number and event ID are useful search handles when confirming a record with the FDA, the recalling company, a pharmacist, a clinician, a retailer, or a device support contact.

Use This Guide With The Checklist

After a possible match, compare product, firm, lot/code, distribution, date, quantity, and FDA IDs before acting. Use the private match checker to compare clues against the loaded snapshot, or try prefilled search starters, then use the label check guide and recall action checklist. For FDA priority labels, read the classification guide. For report, initiation, expiration, and use-by clues, read the date guide. For scale and affected-amount wording, read the quantity guide. For recall numbers and event IDs, read the identifier guide. For how NYN ranks and limits records, read the methodology note.

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