# openFDA Recalls Scraper: Food, Drug, Device & 510(k) (`talcoe/openfda-recalls`) Actor

Pull FDA food, drug and device recalls plus 510(k) clearances, filtered by keyword, recall class, state and date window, at a fixed price per result.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/talcoe/openfda-recalls.md
- **Developed by:** [M Usama](https://apify.com/talcoe) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Business
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 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

### What does openFDA Recalls Scraper do?

It returns FDA food recalls, drug recalls, medical device recalls and 510(k) device clearances as clean, consistent records. Each record carries the recall number, class, status, report date, recalling firm, product description, reason for recall and state, plus extra detail such as distribution pattern, lot codes, root cause and brand names where the FDA publishes them. Filters for keyword, recall class, state and date window keep runs small, and pricing is per result.

### Data source

The official public openFDA API (api.fda.gov): the food and drug enforcement reports, the device recall database and the device 510(k) database, which the FDA refreshes weekly.

### Why use it?

- Monitor recalls that touch your products, suppliers, brands or competitors, and push new ones to Slack or a sheet on a schedule.
- Find recalling firms and 510(k) applicants by state or product area for regulatory consulting, insurance, legal or supplier risk outreach.
- Research recall trends by class, root cause or product type without writing API queries.
- Replaces manual searching on fda.gov and hand paging through the raw API.

### How to use it

1. Open the Actor and set the filters.
2. Click Start. Download results as JSON, CSV or Excel, or read them through the API.
3. Add a Schedule and an Integration (Slack, Google Sheets, webhook) to get new records automatically.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `datasets` | Any of `foodRecalls`, `drugRecalls`, `deviceRecalls`, `device510k`. Default: the three recall datasets. |
| `keywords` | Match any term in product description, reason, firm and brand (device name and applicant for 510(k)). Empty means no keyword filter. |
| `classification` | `Class I`, `Class II` or `Class III`. Applies to food and drug recalls only. |
| `state` | Two letter US state code of the recalling firm or applicant. |
| `daysBack` | Only records reported or decided in the last N days. Default 365. |
| `maxResults` | Hard stop for the run, split evenly across the chosen datasets. You are billed per result, so this caps the cost. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Optional. The API is public and normally needs no proxy. |

Example input:

```json
{
    "datasets": ["foodRecalls", "drugRecalls"],
    "keywords": ["listeria", "salmonella"],
    "classification": "Class I",
    "daysBack": 365,
    "maxResults": 100
}
```

### Output

Every record has an `id`, a `dataset` and the fields below. Example food recall (trimmed):

```json
{
    "id": "food:H-0939-2026:98993",
    "dataset": "foodRecalls",
    "recallNumber": "H-0939-2026",
    "classification": "Class I",
    "status": "Ongoing",
    "reportDate": "2026-06-17",
    "recallingFirm": "HH FRESH TRADING CORP",
    "productDescription": "HH Fresh Trading Corp. (branded) ENOKI MUSHROOM; Premium Quality; Net WT 150g",
    "reasonForRecall": "Imported Enoki Mushrooms tested positive for Listeria Monocytogenes.",
    "state": "CA",
    "eventId": "98993",
    "recallInitiationDate": "2026-05-11",
    "voluntaryMandated": "Voluntary: Firm initiated",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-10-05T08:35:00.802Z"
}
```

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `id` | Stable key, safe for deduplication between runs |
| `dataset` | Which source the record came from |
| `recallNumber` / `kNumber` | FDA recall number, or 510(k) number for clearances |
| `classification`, `status` | Recall class and status (food and drug classes; all recalls have status) |
| `reportDate` / `decisionDate` | ISO date the recall was posted or the 510(k) was decided |
| `recallingFirm` / `applicant` | Company behind the recall or the clearance |
| `productDescription` / `deviceName` | What was recalled or cleared |
| `reasonForRecall` | Plain text reason |
| `state`, `city` | Location of the firm |
| `rootCause`, `action`, `productCode`, `kNumbers` | Device recalls only |
| `decision`, `clearanceType`, `deviceClass`, `regulationNumber`, `advisoryCommittee` | 510(k) only |

### Pricing

Pay per event: a small fee when a run starts, then a fixed price per result returned. You only pay for records that pass your filters. Set `maxResults` to cap any run.

### Limitations

- Drug label, adverse event and other openFDA endpoints are not included. Recalls and 510(k) only.
- The API returns at most 25,000 records per query, so use `daysBack`, `state` or `keywords` to narrow very large pulls.
- Recall class is not available for device recalls, and the `classification` filter is ignored for them.
- The FDA notes that openFDA data is unvalidated and must not be used for medical decisions.

### FAQ

**Is this legal?** The Actor reads public data the FDA publishes through its open API for anyone without a login. You are responsible for how you use the data.

**Something is missing or broken?** Open an issue in the Issues tab; response time is usually under a day.

# Actor input Schema

## `datasets` (type: `array`):

Which openFDA datasets to search, in order. Results fill maxResults in this order.

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Match any of these terms in product description, reason, firm name or brand (device name and applicant for 510(k)). Leave empty for everything.

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

Food and drug recalls only. Class I is the most serious.

## `state` (type: `string`):

Two letter US state code of the recalling firm or applicant, for example CA. Leave empty for all.

## `daysBack` (type: `integer`):

Only records reported or decided in the last N days.

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

Hard stop for the run. You are billed per result, so this caps the cost.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify proxy is recommended for larger runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "datasets": [
    "foodRecalls",
    "drugRecalls",
    "deviceRecalls"
  ],
  "keywords": [],
  "classification": "",
  "state": "",
  "daysBack": 365,
  "maxResults": 60,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

# 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 = {
    "datasets": [
        "foodRecalls",
        "drugRecalls",
        "deviceRecalls"
    ],
    "keywords": [],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("talcoe/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 = {
    "datasets": [
        "foodRecalls",
        "drugRecalls",
        "deviceRecalls",
    ],
    "keywords": [],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("talcoe/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 '{
  "datasets": [
    "foodRecalls",
    "drugRecalls",
    "deviceRecalls"
  ],
  "keywords": [],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call talcoe/openfda-recalls --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,talcoe/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/crZZw7TcwfRAh4Xwr/builds/tnbNs8PmQduTknxdR/openapi.json