Food Safety Focus | Recall Classes

Hello All!

I hope this message finds all of you and your families safe and well.

This week I want to talk about the three different classes that the FDA uses to determine the level of severity to the health of a person affected by a food product involved in a recall.

Class III recalls include products that are not known to cause any illness or adverse health effects but the product does not meet federal regulation in some way. For instance, a non-organic product labeled as organic, incorrect weight or volume on the packaging, etc.

Class II Recalls include products that may cause temporary sickness that is treatable by medicine or the product has a low chance of causing any serious health problems.

Class I Recalls are the most serious and means there is a reasonable probability that the product will cause serious health problems or even death if you eat it. Examples of this level of a recall include Listeria, Clostridium botulinum toxins and Salmonella in ready to eat foods. Products that are not labeled correctly and have undeclared allergens that can cause a serious allergic reaction are also included in Class I.

I hope this helps all of you know what the recall classes are and the severity associated with each of them, to help you to stay vigilant in keeping your family safe from a recalled product.

As always, thanks for all that you do every Day!

Justin
Corporate Food Safety Manager

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Author: Trish Metts