PlainRecalls

Methodology & Data Sources

PlainRecalls aggregates product recall data from four U.S. federal sources into a single, searchable database. All data is obtained directly from official government APIs and databases, with no third-party aggregators.

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Data Sources

  • FDA (Food and Drug Administration): Food, drug, biologics, and medical device enforcement actions. Sourced from the FDA openFDA Enforcement API. Covers recalls, market withdrawals, and safety alerts.
  • CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission): Consumer product recalls including toys, electronics, furniture, appliances, and household goods. Sourced from the CPSC Recall database.
  • NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration): Vehicle safety recalls covering cars, trucks, motorcycles, tires, car seats, and other automotive equipment. Sourced from the NHTSA Recalls API.
  • USDA FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service): Meat, poultry, and processed egg-product recall notices. Sourced from USDA FSIS recall releases.

Processing Pipeline

We pull recall data directly from official government APIs on a regular schedule and normalize it into a consistent schema:

  • Record deduplication by recall ID and agency source
  • Normalization of product categories across agency-specific classification systems
  • Extraction of company names, recall dates, hazard descriptions, and remedy types
  • Full-text indexing for search by product name, company, category, and date
  • Agency tagging to enable filtering by source (FDA, CPSC, USDA FSIS, NHTSA)

Recall Classification

Agency classifications are not interchangeable. FDA and USDA FSIS publish Class I, II, or III classifications on applicable notices; CPSC and NHTSA source records do not use that same tier system.

  • Class I: The agency identifies a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death.
  • Class II: The agency identifies a possibility of temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, or a remote probability of serious consequences.
  • Class III: The agency identifies an exposure that is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.

When an issuing agency does not publish a classification, PlainRecalls labels the record as having no agency class rather than inferring a severity.

Data Collection Method

Our four federal recall sources publish official APIs, structured feeds, or public notices. FDA makes enforcement actions available through the openFDA API, CPSC publishes recall notices through its public API, NHTSA provides recall data through its Recalls API, and USDA FSIS publishes meat, poultry, and processed egg-product recall notices. We refresh these sources on a regular schedule, preserving each record's original agency-assigned identifier where one is supplied so it remains traceable to the official source.

The FDA enforcement series (food, drug and medical-device recalls) is ingested from the openFDA API across its available date range, alongside CPSC and NHTSA recall records and USDA FSIS notices from 2014 onward. All counts shown on the site describe the recalls held in this archive; figures update as the agencies publish new actions and as we refresh each source.

Editorial Workflow

PlainRecalls combines two kinds of content. The recall records - covering tens of thousands of individual recall notices, are ingested programmatically from official FDA, CPSC, USDA FSIS, and NHTSA public records into a normalized schema; they are not individually hand-written or hand-edited, and are presented as published by the issuing agency. The guides, methodology, and editorial commentary are written and reviewed by the PlainRecalls. We follow the Google Search Central guidance (Danny Sullivan, February 2023; reaffirmed 2024) that mixed workflows, programmatically generated data pages alongside human-written editorial content, are acceptable when disclosed, which is what this page does. We do not accept payment for coverage, placement, or rankings, severity classifications and recall records are taken directly from federal agency databases and are never edited to favor any manufacturer.

Update Frequency

We update our database regularly to include the latest records from all four sources. FDA and CPSC data is typically refreshed weekly, while NHTSA and USDA FSIS notices are refreshed as new records are published. For urgent safety decisions, always verify with the official agency source, as our database may lag by 24-72 hours. Historical recall records remain in our database indefinitely, even if a recall is resolved, the original notice is preserved for reference.

Download the Data

Free to reuse with attribution: download the category-level recall summary (CSV). Same total, severity breakdown, and date-range figures every category page renders, for all 12 recall categories.

Limitations

  • Historical coverage varies by source. The FDA food, drug and medical-device series are ingested in full from the openFDA Enforcement API across its available date range. openFDA's enforcement records begin in the early 2000s, so a small number of FDA recalls issued before then may not appear; USDA FSIS coverage begins in 2014, while CPSC and NHTSA records are loaded across their full published history.
  • PlainRecalls reflects recalls publicly announced by agencies. Voluntary market withdrawals not announced through official recall channels may not appear.
  • Recall status (active vs. closed) may not always be current. Verify with the official agency for recall resolution status.
  • Product category normalization across four federal sources with different classification systems introduces some imprecision, the same type of product may be categorized slightly differently depending on the source agency.
  • NHTSA recall data covers vehicles and automotive equipment only; non-automotive transportation recalls (aircraft, boats) are handled by separate agencies not included in our database.
  • Always check the primary agency source before making safety decisions.

How to read recall counts

Revenue diversification readiness

This section documents what is productized today for reuse or licensing, how affiliates may appear if activated, and which alternative monetization paths are paperwork-ready. It is a readiness assessment only; nothing here activates new revenue without operator sign-off.

Downloadable and citable assets today

  • Category summary CSV at /data/plainrecalls-category-summary.csv - one row per recall category with counts, severity breakdown, and date-range figures. License: CC0 (public domain dedication on /statistics).
  • Dataset JSON-LD on the homepage, methodology, statistics, about, privacy, terms, tools, guides, and selected hub pages declares the same extract with isBasedOn pointing to FDA, CPSC, USDA FSIS, and NHTSA source notices.
  • CiteThis boxes on home, rankings, statistics, methodology, guides, tools, compare, corrections, recent, and entity detail pages for one-click attribution of specific tables and counts.
  • RSS feed at /feed.xml for latest recalls and guides.
  • Machine discovery files at /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt describing the four-source archive and primary page types for AI retrieval.
  • Per-recall OG images at /og/recall/<slug>.png for shareable hazard summaries (generated from agency data, not hand-designed).
  • Not yet productized: no bulk API endpoint, no embeddable chart iframe product, no paid data-licensing terms page. [operator] must approve pricing, API keys, and partnership terms before any launch.

Attribution ask: when reusing the CSV or citing a table, name PlainRecalls as the compiler and link to the source page or this methodology. CC0 dedicates the compiled category counts; underlying federal notices remain U.S. government works. Honest attribution supports reuse without implying FDA, CPSC, USDA FSIS, or NHTSA endorsement.

YMYL-safe affiliate placement rules (if activated)

PlainRecalls is a product-safety registry portal (POSTURE-B). If the operator ever enables affiliate units beyond existing disclosure prose:

  • Allowed page types: general household product guides where the user is already evaluating a purchase category, never adjacent to a specific recall hazard panel, remedy instruction, or agency classification.
  • Forbidden: health or safety advice, product recommendations tied to an active recall record, or affiliate links on recall detail pages, manufacturer profiles, rankings tables, or agency hub pages.
  • Labeling: every paid link carries a visible affiliate disclosure; no disguised buttons inside data tables or hazard callouts.
  • Density: same Module 36 ceilings as display ads; no affiliate block above the first source-attribution line on registry pages.

Alternative ad-network eligibility (paperwork only)

  • Google AdSense: portal status is NEEDS_ATTENTION (low-value-content rejection 2026-07-02). Postmortem gaps (combinatorial mass, similarity) are closed at source; resubmit only after READY ≥90%, approval-gate green, and the 2026-09-14 material-change clock. No manual ad slots are enabled pre-approval.
  • Mediavine Journey: requires ~1,000 real sessions per 28-day window. PlainRecalls measured ~121 Umami visitors in the latest 28-day window (2026-09-01), so it is not eligible today. Re-check when real sessions cross the threshold. [operator] applies to network enrollment.
  • Data licensing / API: the CC0 category CSV + Dataset schema are the passive product surface; any commercial API or white-label embed requires [operator] pricing, terms of use, and legal review before publication.

Not Affiliated

PlainRecalls is not affiliated with the FDA, CPSC, USDA FSIS, NHTSA, or any government agency. We are an independent portal aggregating publicly available government recall data into a more accessible format.

How manufacturer, category, and agency ranks are computed

Detail pages for manufacturers, product categories, and issuing agencies state a corpus-relative placement: #N of M by distinct federal recall events. The sort matches the listing pages already on the site, manufacturers use the same recall_count DESC order as /rankings, categories match /category, and agencies match /agency (slug break ties). A higher rank means more distinct notices on record, not greater danger or fault; diversified firms and large market categories accumulate more events by scale and inspection volume alone. Thresholds are not invented bands, the ordinal is a direct count of peers with a higher (or equal-and-earlier-slug) recall count.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does PlainRecalls' data come from?

All recall records come directly from four U.S. federal sources: the FDA (openFDA Enforcement API, food, drugs, biologics, medical devices), the CPSC (Recalls API, consumer products, toys, appliances), USDA FSIS (meat, poultry, and processed egg-product notices, available here from 2014), and NHTSA (Recalls API, vehicles, tires, car seats). We do not use third-party aggregators.

How often is the data updated?

We refresh recall records from each source on a regular schedule. FDA, CPSC, and USDA FSIS data are typically updated weekly, while NHTSA notices are incorporated as they are published. There can be a 24–72 hour lag between an agency's official announcement and its appearance on PlainRecalls. For urgent safety decisions, always verify with the issuing agency.

How accurate is PlainRecalls' recall data?

Every record traces back to an official federal recall notice via its source-assigned recall number. We preserve original severity classifications where supplied (FDA Class I/II/III, CPSC hazard descriptions, USDA FSIS notices, and NHTSA safety campaigns) and link to the primary source on each detail page. We do not editorialize, re-rank, or filter records.

What are PlainRecalls' limitations?

PlainRecalls only displays recalls that agencies have officially published, voluntary market withdrawals not announced through official channels, hazards still under investigation, and recalls from non-U.S. regulators are not included. Historical records may have incomplete fields. Recall status (active vs. closed) may lag official updates. Product categorization across four federal sources introduces some imprecision. Always check the primary agency source before acting on a recall.