Tracking Product Recalls

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are approximately 400 recalls issued every single year by that agency. There are many more under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some product recalls make the local evening news, and some are even big national stories. But given how many things are bought and sold every day, it’s not a bad idea to learn about how to track recall information yourself. One of the easiest ways to find out about product recalls is to sign up for the email alerts on the recalls.gov website. It’s a collection of six different federal agencies that track the safety of various products, such as cars, food, medication, toys, and electronics. You can receive notices as frequently as you’d like, either immediately after a recall notice or in a daily or weekly digest format. Information is available in English and Spanish. You can also search the website before you make a purchase to find out if there have been any prior recalls or safety issues. The CPSC keeps a running list on its site of all recalled items (cpsc.gov/Recalls), including photos of the product, what the problem is, and what to do if you own the item. If you find that you have purchased an unsafe item that isn’t listed, you can report it by visiting saferproducts.gov.