FDA Food Recall & Enforcement Alerts (openFDA)

Clean, flat US food-recall records from the official openFDA Food Enforcement API, the dataset the FDA publishes for developers. Filter by product, firm, state, classification (Class I/II/III), and status, and run it on a schedule in changes-only mode to get just the new and updated recalls each run.

Input

• Free-text search, Recalling firm, State, Classifications (I/II/III), Status (Ongoing/Completed/Terminated), Report date on/after.
• Mode: full or changes (new/updated since this account's last run).
• openFDA API key: optional, raises the rate limit; not required.
• Max delivered records, API page size.

Output

One row per recall: recallNumber, status, classification, productDescription, reasonForRecall, recallingFirm, city, state, country, distributionPattern, productQuantity, voluntaryMandated, reportDate, recallInitiationDate, terminationDate, changeType, plus provenance (sourceUrl, retrievedAt, confidence, dataSource).

How it works

openFDA is public domain (CC0), no key required. Every value is copied from the record; dates are reformatted to ISO (digits unchanged) and absent fields are null, never invented. sourceUrl is an openFDA query that returns the exact record, so any row is verifiable. A page that fails to fetch is logged to the free rejected dataset; a run that matches nothing bills nothing.

Billing

Pay per delivered recall record. Empty result sets and fetch failures cost nothing.

Sample output

A real run of US food-recall records from the official openFDA API:

class	product	recalling firm	state
Class II	CytoDetox, Hydrolyzed Clinoptilol…	Pharmatech LLC	FL
Class II	Koi Palace Mini Moon Cake: Single…	Magic Gourmet Trading…	CA
Class I	Crema GuateLinda (Guatemalan Styl…	Oasis Brands, Inc	FL
Class I	Yellow Onion. Product is labeled…	FreshPoint South Flor…	FL

Every row carries a sourceUrl to the openFDA record, for example https://api.fda.gov/food/enforcement.json?search=recall_number:%22F-0276-2017%22.

Use cases

• Watch for recalls that affect you: filter by product, firm, or state, and run changes mode on a schedule to get only the new and updated recalls.
• Compliance and food-safety monitoring: pull Class I, II, or III recalls with the reason, distribution pattern, and dates.
• Feed an alerting system: each row carries a recall number and a source URL, so a downstream tool can dedupe and link back.
• Research recall trends: pull a date range and analyze by classification, recalling firm, or state.

FAQ

• Where does the data come from? The official openFDA Food Enforcement API, public domain (CC0). Each row links to an openFDA query that returns the exact record.
• What is changes mode? A scheduled run returns only the recalls that are new or updated since this account's last run, so you are not re-billed for the same record.
• Do I need a key? No. An optional openFDA key raises the rate limit but is not required.
• How am I billed? Per delivered recall record. Empty result sets and fetch failures cost nothing.

See also

More clean, pay-only-for-results data tools from Pono Data:

• Regulatory Change Monitor - federal rulemaking from the Federal Register
• Clinical Trials Feed - studies and sponsors from ClinicalTrials.gov
• FCC Filings & Proceedings Lookup - public FCC filings and proceedings

Full catalog: https://apify.com/thoob