FDA Food Recall Scraper

Extract FDA food recall and enforcement action data from the openFDA database. Search by keyword, state, recall classification, and date range. Returns detailed product information, recall reasons, recalling firm details, distribution patterns, and classification severity for every recalled food product reported to the FDA.

Disclaimer: This actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Data is sourced from the publicly available openFDA API.

What data from FDA recalls can you extract?

This actor wraps the free openFDA Food Enforcement API to extract:

• Recall classification — Class I (dangerous/defective), Class II (temporary health problems), Class III (unlikely to cause health issues)
• Product descriptions — full product name, packaging, UPC codes
• Reason for recall — contamination type (Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, undeclared allergens, foreign objects)
• Recalling firm details — company name, address, city, state, country
• Distribution pattern — geographic scope of the recalled product (nationwide, specific states, international)
• Recall status — Ongoing, Terminated, or Completed
• Key dates — recall initiation date, report date, center classification date, termination date
• Recall numbers — unique FDA recall identifiers for cross-referencing
• Voluntary vs. mandated — whether the recall was firm-initiated or FDA-mandated

How to search FDA recalls

By keyword: Enter a search term like "salmonella", "listeria", "peanut", or "undeclared allergen" to find recalls matching that reason.

By state: Filter recalls to a specific US state using the two-letter abbreviation (CA, NY, TX, FL).

By classification: Narrow results to Class I (most serious), Class II, or Class III recalls.

By date range: Set start and end dates to find recalls reported within a specific time window.

Combine filters: Use multiple filters together. For example, search for "listeria" recalls in California classified as Class I since January 2024.

Output example

Each recall record in the output dataset contains:

{
    "status": "Ongoing",
    "city": "Los Angeles",
    "state": "CA",
    "country": "United States",
    "classification": "Class I",
    "product_type": "Food",
    "event_id": "93245",
    "recalling_firm": "ABC Foods Inc.",
    "address_1": "1234 Industrial Blvd",
    "postal_code": "90001",
    "voluntary_mandated": "Voluntary: Firm initiated",
    "distribution_pattern": "Nationwide in retail stores and online",
    "recall_number": "F-0456-2025",
    "product_description": "ABC Brand Organic Peanut Butter, 16 oz jar, UPC 012345678901",
    "reason_for_recall": "Product may contain Salmonella",
    "recall_initiation_date": "20250115",
    "report_date": "20250201",
    "code_info": "Best by dates: 06/2025 through 12/2025",
    "source": "FDA openFDA Food Enforcement Database",
    "sourceUrl": "https://api.fda.gov/food/enforcement.json",
    "recallLookupUrl": "https://api.fda.gov/food/enforcement.json?search=recall_number:\"F-0456-2025\"&limit=1"
}

How much does it cost to scrape FDA recall data?

This actor uses pay-per-event pricing. You pay per recall result returned.

• $0.00005 per actor start (Apify default)
• Per-result charge based on the number of recall records extracted
• No proxy costs — openFDA is a free government API, no proxy needed

A typical search for "salmonella" recalls since 2024 returns 50-200 results at minimal cost. Set maxResults to control how many records are returned and manage your budget.

Tip: Start with the default 50 results to preview data, then increase maxResults for full datasets.

Who uses FDA recall data?

• Food manufacturers and distributors — monitor competitors and supply chain risks, track recall trends in your product category
• Compliance and quality assurance teams — stay informed about enforcement actions, audit supplier recall histories
• Investors and analysts — assess food safety risk exposure for publicly traded food companies
• Journalists and researchers — investigate food safety patterns, contamination trends, and regulatory enforcement
• App developers — build consumer-facing recall alert apps, food safety dashboards, or notification services
• Grocery retailers — automate shelf-pull alerts when suppliers issue recalls
• Insurance underwriters — evaluate food safety risk profiles for policy pricing
• Lawyers — product liability research, class action investigation

Tips for best results

• Use specific keywords like "salmonella", "listeria monocytogenes", "undeclared milk", or "foreign material" for targeted results.
• Class I recalls are the most critical — these involve situations where there is a reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death.
• Combine state + keyword filters to focus on recalls relevant to your geographic market.
• Date ranges help track recall trends over time. Try quarterly or annual windows for trend analysis.
• Export to CSV for spreadsheet analysis or JSON for programmatic use.
• Schedule recurring runs to get alerts when new recalls are posted matching your criteria.

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
searchTerm	string	Keyword to search in recall reasons (e.g., salmonella, listeria, peanut). Default: "salmonella"
state	string	US state abbreviation filter (e.g., CA, NY, TX). Optional.
recallClass	string	Recall classification: Class I, Class II, Class III, or all. Optional.
dateFrom	string	Start date (YYYY-MM-DD). Default: "2024-01-01"
dateTo	string	End date (YYYY-MM-DD). Defaults to today.
maxResults	integer	Maximum recall records to return (1-1000, default 50)

Integrations

Export your data as JSON, CSV, or Excel. Schedule runs to monitor new recalls automatically. Use webhooks to trigger downstream workflows when new recalls are detected.

This actor works as an MCP server — AI agents can discover and use it to access FDA recall data programmatically.