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.

No PHI: the feed carries public enforcement and recall records only (products, firms, classifications). It collects and stores no patient identifiers or health records. Transport is TLS to the official .gov endpoint.

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