Food alerts and product recall

What is a food alert?

A food alert is usually issued by the Food Standards Agency when an incident has occurred which needs to be dealt with immediately and which may have serious public health issues such as Salmonella contamination of ready-to-eat food.

How will I learn about a food alert and if it affects me?

Food alerts usually receive widespread publicity – local or national TV or radio and internet news sites. However, you may be contacted by your wholesaler or the Environmental Health department if you need to take action.

You can sign up to receive alerts from the Food Standards Agency website.

What is a product recall or withdrawal notice?

This is issued when a producer or manufacturer has identified a problem with a batch of product and has voluntarily withdrawn the batch from the market place. These notices are issued to make the public aware of the incident, just in case some of the product is on sale. Often the business or members of the public are encouraged to return the product to the place of purchase.

You can read more about how to report, respond to and prevent an incident, including how to withdraw or recall unsafe food products on the Food Standards Agency website.

What is an allergy alert?

This is issued when an ingredient, which is an allergen to some people, accidentally gets added to a product. An alert is issued so that these people can avoid the product.