By April Reese
University of Georgia
It seems that every day a new recall is announced, warning
people
of the dangers associated with eating certain foods. You hear
these recalls so often they may sometimes fail to register.
That’s not good.
“If a recall for food is announced, people should pay close
attention,” said Elizabeth Andress, an extension food safety
specialist with the University of Georgia College of Family and
Consumer Sciences.
“There are different kinds of recalls,” Andress said. “And
some
can indicate a very serious situation.”
Hamburger and other meat products, infected with hazardous
bacteria like E. coli and Listeria, are the
most commonly
recalled foods, she said. Take these recalls very seriously.
A food recall is a voluntary step that a food’s manufacturer
or
distributor takes to protect consumers, she said.
Recall classes
Food recalls fall into three classes based on the danger
associated.
“Class I recalls are the most serious,” Andress said. “These
involve a health hazard in which there is a reasonable
probability that eating the food will cause serious health
problems or maybe even death.”
A Class II recall, she said, is one with a remote probability
of
health problems from eating a product. With a Class III recall,
eating the food won’t cause a health problem.
An example of a Class III recall, she said, leaving “added
water”
off of the ingredient list. The product doesn’t meet federal
requirements for labeling. But it’s not a health hazard.
If it is said to be a “precaution,” it is most likely a Class
II
or Class III recall, Andress said. But even then, she urges
consumers to find out more. Learn how serious the risk is to your
health and what the government or company recommends you do with
the food.
Check it out!
“People should go to the trouble to check their freezers,
refrigerators and shelves for identifying information on products
to make sure they don’t consume the contaminated foods,” Andress
said. Then follow the directions for the recall if you want your
money back.
When meat and poultry products are recalled, updated
information
is available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the form
of a recall notification report. These are on the Web at
www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/recalls/rec_
intr.htm.
The report includes the description of the food being
recalled,
the
reason for the recall, the name of the producer, distribution
information, any identifying codes, the recall class and people
to contact.
Other food recalls, besides beef and poultry products, are
handled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is
generally not authorized to “order” a manufacturer to recall a
food.
“Only when a medical device, human tissue product or infant
formula poses a risk to human health does the law specifically
authorize the FDA to prescribe a recall,” Andress said.
FDA Recalls, Alerts and Enforcement Reports are on the Web at
www.fda.gov/opacom/
7alerts.html and
www.fda.gov/opacom/enforce.html.
These Web sites give you all the
information you need to identify and return the recalled
product.
I already ate it. What now?
Some consumers worry they have already eaten a recalled
food.
“In some cases, such as contamination with the toxin that
causes
botulism, it won’t take long for symptoms to have appeared and
the damage to already be done,” Andress said. “However, in other
instances, there may not be any harm.”
Andress said some foods that have been recalled may never make
you sick.
“Even in the case of some Class I recalls for bacterial
contamination of food, proper cooking before consumption may
remove the hazard,” Andress said. “So, a consumer may have eaten
a food before hearing about the recall and not gotten sick.”
If you believe you’ve eaten food that’s being recalled,
contact
the company or federal agency involved to learn what symptoms to
expect.
