A shared brand name does not settle whether your package is recalled. Match the identifiers in the official notice and contact the company before eating if your code cannot be confirmed.
- Open official notice
- Match product and size
- Match lot and dates
- Do not eat; follow the notice
Put the notice beside the package
FDA recall notices identify details such as product, size, UPC, lot, dates and distribution. Compare the fields the actual notice specifies. FDA information concerns the US market; check the authority for the country where you bought the food too.
| Field | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Product, flavor and size | Front of pack |
| Lot or production code | Printed seam, base or label |
| Date and barcode | Fields named by the notice |
| Distribution | Full notice text |
When the original packaging is gone
Collect the receipt, order record and any saved packaging photos. Ask the company with the product name, size, purchase place, purchase date and remaining codes. Label the food separately so it is not eaten while you wait.
After a match
The CDC advises discarding recalled food and cleaning the refrigerator if it was stored there. Follow the actual notice’s return or disposal procedure. Smelling or tasting is not a way to verify the reason for a recall.
CDC: preventing food poisoning
Find the notice for the market where you bought it
For a purchase in South Korea, search Food Safety Korea’s recall and sales-suspension list by product and manufacturer. Open the full notice and record its pack size, production/date information and return instructions. The US example below teaches comparison; it does not establish distribution in Korea.
Food Safety Korea recall list (Korean)
Separate the identifiers in a real notice
Historical US company announcement posted by FDA on 21 May 2026. This is a teaching case, not today’s complete recall list or a safety assessment of your food.
| Notice field | Value in the notice |
|---|---|
| Product | Whole Foods Market Kitchen Minestrone Soup |
| Size | 24 oz |
| Lot | 1762181 |
| Use By | 05/27/26 |
Original FDA-hosted notice and package photos
Your comparison record: unknown is not a mismatch
Copy these four lines into a note and record each condition in the notice separately. Do not invent a lot requirement if the notice has none. Record “all lots” or a date range exactly when specified.
- Notice URL / publication or update date / time checked:
- Notice condition → package value → match, mismatch or unknown:
- Unreadable characters, missing packaging or purchase details:
- Return/disposal instruction / contact / reply received:
| Comparison result | Action to complete |
|---|---|
| All applicable conditions match | Treat the pack as covered by that notice; do not eat it and follow its action. |
| A relevant condition clearly differs | It does not match that notice. This is not a certificate against other recalls or storage problems. |
| Unreadable code or missing original pack | Unresolved. Do not tick mismatch; keep it separate and uneaten while checking. |
If product and size match but the final lot character is rubbed off, the result is unknown. Send the product, shop, purchase date, remaining code and photos and ask whether these identify an affected pack. Recheck the same record if the notice is updated or extended.
Common questions
Does absence from a warning page prove safety?
The FDA says not every recall appears on that page.
What if the picture differs?
Check identifiers and scope rather than the picture alone.