# FDA Recalls – Food, Drug & Device Enforcement Reports (`yuvalstudios/fda-recalls`) Actor

FDA recall enforcement reports (food, drugs, medical devices) from openFDA: firm, address, class, reason, product, lots, distribution. Filter by class, state, firm, keyword. 'New since last run' mode. No API key.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/yuvalstudios/fda-recalls.md
- **Developed by:** [Yuval Gabay](https://apify.com/yuvalstudios) (community)
- **Categories:** News
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.00 / 1,000 recall 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 – Food, Drug & Device Enforcement Reports

FDA recall enforcement reports (food, drugs, medical devices) from openFDA: firm, address, class, reason, product, lots, distribution. Filter by class, state, firm, keyword. 'New since last run' mode. No API key.

**Who it's for:** Food and pharma QA and compliance teams, product liability law firms (lead gen), retailers and distributors monitoring suppliers, safety newsletters, and insurers.

### Why this actor

- Official public API (https://api.fda.gov/{food,drug,device}/enforcement.json), so there's no scraping, no proxies and no key. It's fast and cheap.
- Clean, flat records with direct links, ready for a CRM, Sheets or Slack.
- **New since last run:** schedule it daily and get only new records, which makes it work as an alert feed.
- Pay only per result. Empty runs cost almost nothing.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `productTypes` | Which openFDA enforcement datasets to search: food, drug, device. |
| `daysBack` | Used when no dates are set: recalls reported in the last N days. FDA publishes them weekly. |
| `reportedFrom` | Start of the report date range, format YYYY-MM-DD. |
| `reportedTo` | End of the report date range, format YYYY-MM-DD. |
| `classifications` | "Class I" (most serious), "Class II", "Class III", "Not Yet Classified". Leave empty for all. |
| `statuses` | Recall status: Ongoing, Completed, Terminated. Leave empty for all. |
| `states` | 2-letter US state codes of the recalling firm, e.g. CA, NJ. |
| `firmName` | Recalling firm name (phrase match), e.g. "Aurobindo". |
| `keyword` | Phrase matched in the product description or the reason for recall, e.g. "salmonella" or "listeria". |
| `maxItems` | Maximum number of records to output (and charge for) in this run. |
| `newSinceLastRun` | Remember the records already returned and output only new ones on later runs. Use it on a schedule for alerts. |
| `stateKey` | Name of the memory used by 'new since last run'. Use a different key for each saved search so they don't share memory. |

### Output example

```json
{
  "recallNumber": null,
  "eventId": "99934",
  "productType": "Drugs",
  "classification": "Not Yet Classified",
  "status": "Ongoing",
  "recallingFirm": "Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc",
  "address": "279 Princeton Hightstown Rd",
  "city": "East Windsor",
  "state": "NJ",
  "postalCode": "08520-1401",
  "country": "United States",
  "productDescription": "amazon, Acetaminophen, Extra Strength, 500mg Caplets, 1000-count bottle, Distributed by: Amazon.com Services LLC, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109, Made in India, NDC 72288-692-01. UPC 1 95515 04888 0",
  "reasonForRecall": "Discoloration: consumer complaints received for discolored tablets",
  "productQuantity": "7,836 1000-count bottles",
  "codeInfo": "Lot# ACD124048A, Exp Date: 11/30/2027.",
  "distributionPattern": "US Nationwide.",
  "voluntaryMandated": "Voluntary: Firm initiated",
  "initialFirmNotification": "Letter",
  "recallInitiationDate": "2026-09-18",
  "classificationDate": null,
  "reportDate": "2026-10-07",
  "terminationDate": null,
  "brandNames": [
    "AMAZON BASIC CARE ACETAMINOPHEN"
  ],
  "genericNames": [
    "ACETAMINOPHEN"
  ],
  "manufacturerNames": [
    "Amazon.com Services LLC"
  ],
  "ndc": [
    "72288-692"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/index.cfm?Event=99934",
  "source": "openFDA enforcement"
}
```

### Tips

- For alerts, schedule a daily run with `newSinceLastRun: true`, and give each saved search its own `stateKey`.
- Export as CSV, Excel or JSON, or connect through Zapier, Make or webhooks.

### How to use

1. Click **Try for free** (or **Start**) — the form is pre-filled with a small working example.
2. Adjust the filters and **Max results**, then run. Most runs finish in under a minute.
3. Open the **Output** tab to view the table, or export CSV, Excel or JSON, or pull it via the API, Zapier, Make, Google Sheets or webhooks.
4. For alerts, save the input as a task, turn on **New since last run**, and schedule it daily or weekly.

### What's new (October 2026)

- **Where it was shipped:** each recall has `distributionStates`, `distributionNationwide` and `distributionInternational`, parsed from FDA's free-text distribution field. Filter with *Distributed to state(s)* to keep recalls that reached your states, nationwide recalls included.
- `daysSinceReport` for quick triage.

### Pricing

Pay per result: **$0.002 per recall record ($2 per 1,000)**. A month of food, drug and device recalls (~400 records) costs about $0.80. You only pay for rows you receive; a run that finds nothing costs almost nothing. Set **Max results** or a maximum cost per run to cap spend — the actor stops cleanly at the limit.

### FAQ

**Where does the data come from?** From the official openFDA API (api.fda.gov). No login or API key is needed.

**How fresh is it?** openFDA publishes enforcement reports weekly.

**Is it legal to use?** The data is public government data (or public DNS records). You are responsible for how you use it, e.g. CAN-SPAM/GDPR rules when contacting businesses.

**What happens if the source is slow or down?** Requests are retried with backoff. If the source fails mid-run, results already collected are kept and the run finishes with a clear status message instead of crashing. The run also stops cleanly before its timeout.

**Where is the run summary?** In the key-value store record `OUTPUT_SUMMARY` (counts, filters applied, why the run stopped).

**I need a field or filter that's missing.** Open an issue on the Issues tab.

### Related actors

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- [Grants.gov Federal Grant Opportunities](https://apify.com/yuvalstudios/grants-gov-opportunities)
- [SEC Form D private offerings (startup funding)](https://apify.com/yuvalstudios/sec-form-d)
- [UK New Companies (Companies House)](https://apify.com/yuvalstudios/uk-new-companies)
- [FMCSA new trucking carriers](https://apify.com/yuvalstudios/fmcsa-carriers)
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- [Israel Open Data (data.gov.il)](https://apify.com/yuvalstudios/israel-open-data)

Data is public US government data. This actor is not affiliated with the US government.

### Data source & disclaimer

- **Source:** [openFDA](https://open.fda.gov) food, drug and device enforcement (recall) reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- **How fresh:** openFDA updates enforcement reports weekly; FDA classifies recalls days to weeks after a firm starts them. Each row has `scrapedAt` (when this run fetched it) and `sourceUpdatedAt` (openFDA's last data refresh).
- **Licence & attribution:** Public domain under the openFDA CC0 1.0 dedication ([openFDA terms](https://open.fda.gov/terms/)). Attribution is requested, not required: "Data provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (https://open.fda.gov)". Do not use this data alone for medical decisions or to suggest FDA endorsement. openFDA limits requests without a key (about 1,000 per day per IP), so very large runs can be throttled.
- **Disclaimer:** Data is provided **as is** from public records, without warranty of any kind. Records can contain errors, omissions or delays from the source or from processing, so check anything important against the official source. This actor and its output are **not legal, financial, compliance or medical advice**. You are responsible for using the data lawfully: for example product-safety, consumer-protection and marketing rules (CAN-SPAM, GDPR) in your country. This actor is independent and **not affiliated with or endorsed by** the U.S. FDA.
- **Last verified:** 2026-10-19.

# Actor input Schema

## `productTypes` (type: `array`):

Which openFDA enforcement datasets to search: food, drug, device.

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

Used when no dates are set: recalls reported in the last N days. FDA publishes them weekly.

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

Start of the report date range, format YYYY-MM-DD.

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

End of the report date range, format YYYY-MM-DD.

## `classifications` (type: `array`):

"Class I" (most serious), "Class II", "Class III", "Not Yet Classified". Leave empty for all.

## `statuses` (type: `array`):

Recall status: Ongoing, Completed, Terminated. Leave empty for all.

## `states` (type: `array`):

2-letter US state codes of the recalling firm, e.g. CA, NJ.

## `distributedTo` (type: `array`):

Keep recalls whose products were shipped to any of these states (2-letter codes, e.g. NY, CA), including nationwide recalls. Parsed from the FDA's free-text distribution field, so treat it as best effort. Different from 'Recalling firm state'.

## `firmName` (type: `string`):

Recalling firm name (phrase match), e.g. "Aurobindo".

## `keyword` (type: `string`):

Phrase matched in the product description or the reason for recall, e.g. "salmonella" or "listeria".

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of records to output (and charge for) in this run.

## `newSinceLastRun` (type: `boolean`):

Remember the records already returned and output only new ones on later runs. Use it on a schedule for alerts.

## `stateKey` (type: `string`):

Name of the memory used by 'new since last run'. Use a different key for each saved search so they don't share memory.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "productTypes": [
    "food",
    "drug",
    "device"
  ],
  "daysBack": 30,
  "distributedTo": [],
  "maxItems": 50,
  "newSinceLastRun": false,
  "stateKey": "default"
}
```

# 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 = {
    "productTypes": [
        "food",
        "drug",
        "device"
    ],
    "distributedTo": [],
    "maxItems": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("yuvalstudios/fda-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 = {
    "productTypes": [
        "food",
        "drug",
        "device",
    ],
    "distributedTo": [],
    "maxItems": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("yuvalstudios/fda-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 '{
  "productTypes": [
    "food",
    "drug",
    "device"
  ],
  "distributedTo": [],
  "maxItems": 50
}' |
apify call yuvalstudios/fda-recalls --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,yuvalstudios/fda-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/zSBhLe7nDoKoqMwOW/builds/DZtkKkG6Vx8R91iZc/openapi.json