Step by step: the free official route
Sign up for Food Standards Agency food alerts
GOV.UK's Sign up for food safety alerts page explains that when there is a problem with food on the market the FSA issues a food alert, and you can sign up to get alerts by email on the FSA website. The FSA also publishes the same alerts through a free Food Alerts API for software.
Learn the three food alert types
Food Standards Scotland defines them as follows. An Allergy Alert (AA) is issued when allergy information on a label is missing or incorrect, so the food must be recalled from consumers. A Product Recall Information Notice (PRIN) is issued when a product has been, or is being, recalled because of a food safety issue, or a solution has been put in place. A Food Alert for Action (FAFA) is issued when enforcement authorities need to intervene, often alongside a withdrawal or recall. In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland publishes food alerts.
Subscribe to OPSS product safety alerts for non-food items
The Office for Product Safety and Standards publishes Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls on GOV.UK. You can filter by alert type (product safety alert, product safety report, product recall), risk level and product category, such as toys or childcare articles, then use Get emails or the Atom feed to be told about new ones.
Check each alert against your stock
Match the product name, brand, pack size, batch or lot code, barcode and date codes on the notice against your shelves, stockroom and online listings. Do what the notice says, for example removing the product from sale or displaying a point-of-sale notice where the business supplies one (an FSA alert can include the business's own recall or point-of-sale notice as a linked document).
Keep a record of what you checked
For consumer products, regulation 8 of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 says a distributor must act with due care to help ensure compliance with safety requirements, including by passing on information about risks, keeping and producing the documentation needed to trace a product's origin, and cooperating with action taken by producers or enforcement authorities. A dated note of each alert, what you checked and what you did helps show that care.
What the free tools do, and what they leave to you
The government alerts are free and authoritative, and you should always follow the official notice. They arrive from two different services in different formats, and neither checks the alerts against the products you actually sell or keeps your record for you.
Where Recall Radar saves time
Recall Radar combines Food Standards Agency alerts and Office for Product Safety and Standards recalls in one email, flags the ones that match the brands, barcodes and product words you stock, and gives you a dated recall-check log for your records. It is built for independent shops, online sellers, cafés and nurseries, and it does not replace the official alerts.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an allergy alert and a product recall?
An allergy alert is issued when allergy information on a food label is missing or incorrect, so the food is recalled; it matters to people with that allergy. A product recall information notice covers food recalled because of a food safety issue, such as contamination, that can affect anyone.
What is a food alert for action?
A Food Alert for Action is issued when enforcement authorities, such as local authorities, need to intervene. It is often issued alongside a product withdrawal or recall.
Are government recall alerts free?
Yes. FSA email alerts, the FSA Food Alerts API and the OPSS emails and Atom feed on GOV.UK are free.
Where can I see all current UK product recalls?
On GOV.UK's Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls finder from the Office for Product Safety and Standards, which can be filtered by alert type, risk level and product category. Food alerts are on the Food Standards Agency website.
Does Recall Radar replace the official alerts?
No. Always follow the official notice. Recall Radar brings the FSA and OPSS alerts into one email, highlights matches to what you stock and keeps a dated log.
Is this compliance or legal advice?
No. This guide and Recall Radar are information only. Check the official notice and take advice on your own obligations.
Official sources
- GOV.UK: Sign up for food safety alerts
- Food Standards Scotland: why food is recalled (alert types)
- FSA Food Alerts API reference
- GOV.UK (OPSS): Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005, regulation 8
Contains public sector information from the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and the Office for Product Safety and Standards, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Information only: not legal, financial or professional advice. Always check the official source before you act.