# FDA Recalls Scraper by Birds Nest Data (`birds-nest-data/openfda-recalls`) Actor

Export FDA recall data for food, drugs and medical devices as JSON or CSV. Filter by product type, recall class and date. Built on the public openFDA enforcement API.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/birds-nest-data/openfda-recalls.md
- **Developed by:** [Birds Nest Data](https://apify.com/birds-nest-data) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, News
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$15.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## FDA Recalls Scraper by Birds Nest Data

Export FDA recall data for food, drugs and medical devices as JSON or CSV. Filter by product type, recall class and date. Built on the public openFDA enforcement API.

> Unofficial tool. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Data provided as-is from https://open.fda.gov.

> Not for medical or clinical decisions. This tool does not guarantee that recall data is complete or up to date; always check the FDA's own recall notices.

### What it does

Pulls FDA recall enforcement reports from openFDA and returns one clean, flat row per recalled product, newest reports first. Built for food-safety and quality teams, retailers and distributors checking their suppliers, and journalists or researchers following recalls.

### What you get

| Field | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| recall_number | string | `H-1402-2026` |
| event_id | string | `99954` |
| product_type | string | `Food` |
| status | string | `Ongoing` |
| classification | string | `Class II` |
| voluntary_mandated | string | `Voluntary: Firm initiated` |
| product_description | string | product name, size and UPC as reported |
| product_quantity | string | `162 cases` |
| reason_for_recall | string | `Product contains elevated levels of lead.` |
| recalling_firm | string | company name |
| firm_state | string | `NY` |
| firm_country | string | `United States` |
| distribution_pattern | string | `NY, NJ, PA, TX, FL, IL` |
| recall_initiation_date | date (YYYY-MM-DD) | `2026-09-24` |
| center_classification_date | date | `2026-09-29` |
| report_date | date | `2026-10-07` |
| termination_date | date or null | `null` |
| source_url | URL | openFDA API link for this recall number |
| source | string | `openFDA enforcement API (open.fda.gov)` |

Street address, city, postal code and contact details are never copied. Emails and phone numbers inside free text are removed.

### Use cases

- Check new food, drug or device recalls against your suppliers and product list.
- Pull Class I recalls for a weekly quality or food-safety report.
- Send FDA recall data into a spreadsheet or alert through the Apify API.
- Research recall history by product type and date range.

### How to use

1. Set inputs, or leave them as they are to get the 50 newest food recall reports.
2. Click **Run**.
3. Export the dataset as JSON, CSV or Excel, or read it through the Apify API.

### Input example

```json
{
  "searchText": "",
  "productType": "food",
  "classification": "ALL",
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

### Output example

Two records from a real run on 2026-10-17 (PT) with the default input:

```json
[
 {
  "recall_number": "H-1407-2026",
  "event_id": "99887",
  "product_type": "Food",
  "status": "Ongoing",
  "classification": "Class I",
  "voluntary_mandated": "Voluntary: Firm initiated",
  "product_description": "Todd's Seeds Salad Sprouting Mixture - Broccoli, Mustard, Alfalfa and Cabbage, packaged in heat-sealed resealable bags in the following sizes: 1/4 lb., 1/2 lb., and 1 lb.",
  "product_quantity": "37,481 retail units (TOTAL)",
  "reason_for_recall": "Products contain alfalfa seed recalled by the supplier and may be contaminated with E. coli and/or Salmonella (downstream recall)",
  "recalling_firm": "TODD'S SEEDS LLC",
  "firm_state": "TN",
  "firm_country": "United States",
  "distribution_pattern": "Nationwide; through Amazon or direct to consumer",
  "recall_initiation_date": "2026-09-11",
  "center_classification_date": "2026-09-30",
  "report_date": "2026-10-07",
  "termination_date": null,
  "source_url": "https://api.fda.gov/food/enforcement.json?search=recall_number:%22H-1407-2026%22",
  "source": "openFDA enforcement API (open.fda.gov)"
 },
 {
  "recall_number": "H-1402-2026",
  "event_id": "99954",
  "product_type": "Food",
  "status": "Ongoing",
  "classification": "Class II",
  "voluntary_mandated": "Voluntary: Firm initiated",
  "product_description": "Lior brand Cinnamon Ground Seasoning; 90g transparent plastic container; UPC 794711005484.",
  "product_quantity": "162 cases",
  "reason_for_recall": "Product contains elevated levels of lead.",
  "recalling_firm": "Galil Importing Corp",
  "firm_state": "NY",
  "firm_country": "United States",
  "distribution_pattern": "NY, NJ, PA, TX, FL, IL",
  "recall_initiation_date": "2026-09-24",
  "center_classification_date": "2026-09-29",
  "report_date": "2026-10-07",
  "termination_date": null,
  "source_url": "https://api.fda.gov/food/enforcement.json?search=recall_number:%22H-1402-2026%22",
  "source": "openFDA enforcement API (open.fda.gov)"
 }
]
```

### Pricing (pay-per-event)

- **Result:** $15.00 per 1,000 results ($0.015 for each recall record saved to the dataset).
- No start fee. Runs that match nothing are not charged for results.
- Estimate: the default run (50 records) costs about $0.75 in result fees.

### Limits

- Sends at most about 1 request per second and uses no proxies or API key. openFDA allows 1,000 keyless requests per day per IP address. If the source refuses access (HTTP 403), the run stops with a clear message; it never changes its identity or retries from other IPs.
- Up to 10,000 records per run.
- openFDA enforcement reports are typically updated weekly, so the newest recalls can lag FDA press releases by several days.

### Data source & legality note

> This actor reads public data from openFDA (https://open.fda.gov) via its public API. It does not log in, bypass access controls, or collect personal data; person/contact fields are dropped at parse time. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Output is provided as-is, without warranty; it may be incomplete or delayed, so verify against openFDA before relying on it. Not legal, medical, or safety advice. You are responsible for how you use the output and for complying with applicable laws and the source's terms.

Data provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (https://open.fda.gov).

### Support

birds.nest.apify@gmail.com, or open an issue in the Issues tab.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchText` (type: `string`):

Word to match in the product description or recall reason, e.g. listeria. Leave empty for all recalls.

## `reportedFrom` (type: `string`):

Earliest FDA report date (YYYY-MM-DD). Leave empty for no lower bound.

## `reportedTo` (type: `string`):

Latest FDA report date (YYYY-MM-DD). Leave empty for no upper bound.

## `productType` (type: `string`):

Which openFDA enforcement dataset to read.

## `classification` (type: `string`):

Class I is the most serious. Keep All to include every class.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of recall records to return (1 to 10,000). Each returned record is one billable result.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchText": "",
  "productType": "food",
  "classification": "ALL",
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

FDA recalls saved to the default dataset (Overview view).

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxResults": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("birds-nest-data/openfda-recalls").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxResults": 50 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("birds-nest-data/openfda-recalls").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxResults": 50
}' |
apify call birds-nest-data/openfda-recalls --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,birds-nest-data/openfda-recalls"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/kbRX5r5SvFLPUjYgV/builds/WY4RvTgRxqyjMLelq/openapi.json