Recall rankings
The most-recalled companies and years
Who carries the most product recalls on record, and when issuance peaked, counted as distinct recall events across the FDA, CPSC, USDA FSIS and NHTSA.
Download the category-level recall summary cited on this page: plainrecalls-category-summary.csv (U.S. CPSC, FDA, USDA FSIS and NHTSA public notices · CC0).
These are the companies and years with the most U.S. product recalls on record, ranked by distinct recall events, not by danger.
Across 104,423 federal recalls (1995–2026), Zimmer Biomet, Inc. carries the most on record with 875 distinct events, and issuance peaked in 2016. A higher count usually reflects a larger product range and more regulatory scrutiny, not worse safety, read each notice for the actual hazard.
The headline
Across 104,423 federal recalls (1995–2026), Zimmer Biomet, Inc. carries the most on record (875 distinct events); Olympus Corporation of the Americas at 414 events is the #20 cutoff for the company list shown here, and issuance peaked in 2016 (8,349).
- 104,423
- total recalls ranked
- 875
- top firm (Zimmer Biomet, Inc.)
- 414
- #20 cutoff for the company list
- 2016
- peak issuance year
Rankings count frequency of issuance, not units affected or severity, large diversified firms accumulate more records by scale alone.
Recalls issued per year
Distinct recall events across the FDA, CPSC, USDA FSIS and NHTSA, 2010–2025
Most recalled companies
| # | Company | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zimmer Biomet, Inc. | 875 |
| 2 | Medline Industries, LP - Northfield | 822 |
| 3 | Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc | 796 |
| 4 | Ford | 782 |
| 5 | Customed, Inc | 682 |
| 6 | Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Inc. | 665 |
| 7 | Newly Weds Foods, Inc. | 657 |
| 8 | Icu Medical, Inc. | 657 |
| 9 | Garden Fresh Foods, Inc. | 634 |
| 10 | Boston Scientific Corporation | 632 |
| 11 | Aidapak Services, LLC | 538 |
| 12 | Medline Industries, LP | 486 |
| 13 | Arrow International Inc. | 478 |
| 14 | Ge Healthcare LLC | 475 |
| 15 | Attix Pharmaceuticals | 470 |
| 16 | King Bio Inc. | 465 |
| 17 | Zimmer, Inc. | 446 |
| 18 | B Braun Medical Inc | 444 |
| 19 | Biomerieux Inc | 422 |
| 20 | Olympus Corporation of the Americas | 414 |
Do more recalls mean more Class I danger?
Medical Devices leads the archive by volume (41,070 recalls) at only 9% Class I, while Meat & Poultry is Class I far more often (68.5%) on a smaller slice (1,672). Most recalls is not the same as most Class I danger.
Read the chart, every category as text
Percentiles are within this release's classified-enough category sample. Class I % uses only agency-classified notices.
| Category | Recalls | Vol %ile | Classified | Class I | Class I % | Rate %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Devices | 41,070 | 100 | 40,763 | 3,653 | 9% | 14 |
| Food | 25,513 | 86 | 25,222 | 11,676 | 46.3% | 86 |
| Drugs & Medications | 14,473 | 71 | 14,417 | 1,508 | 10.5% | 29 |
| Children & Baby Products | 4,017 | 57 | 2,483 | 352 | 14.2% | 43 |
| Dietary Supplements | 2,018 | 43 | 1,993 | 466 | 23.4% | 71 |
| Meat & Poultry | 1,672 | 29 | 1,672 | 1,145 | 68.5% | 100 |
| Cosmetics & Personal Care | 1,388 | 14 | 1,289 | 203 | 15.7% | 57 |
How to read these rankings
Counts are distinct recall events, not units affected, one recall covering millions of units counts the same as one covering a single batch. Most-recalled companies tend to be the largest and most heavily-inspected: more product lines and more regulatory scrutiny mean more notices, not necessarily worse safety. Names are normalized into a single canonical entity where unambiguous; parent and subsidiary stay separate when the agency notice names the subsidiary.
Year-over-year swings track recall-issuance activity, shifting regulatory priorities, new detection methods, supply-chain events, more than underlying product safety. Calendar-year aggregation may differ slightly from agency fiscal-year totals. Every ranked entry links to its full history, and every recall links back to the issuing agency for verification.
Use the rankings
- Check whether a product you own is recalled before reading further. Recall checker
- See every recall on record for Zimmer Biomet, Inc.. Zimmer Biomet, Inc. recalls
- Browse the full archive by product category to spot recurring defects. Categories
Rankings reflect issuance frequency, not severity, always read the individual recall notice for the hazard and remedy.
Data sources
- Source: FDA - openFDA Enforcement API
- Source: CPSC - Consumer Product Safety Commission Recalls
- Source: NHTSA - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Recalls
Every figure on PlainRecalls is rendered directly from official FDA, CPSC, USDA FSIS and NHTSA recall records; no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed across the full archive by distinct recall events, not by units affected, which the federal records report inconsistently. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.