How to check if a product was recalled (by name, brand or UPC)

Step 1 — Read the package

• Brand and exact product name.
• UPC: the number under the barcode, usually 12 digits.
• Lot number, batch code or date code, often printed near the best-by date.
• Best-by or use-by date.
• Model and serial number, for appliances, electronics and vehicle equipment.

Step 2 — Pick the right agency

• Consumer goods, toys, furniture, appliances and electronics: CPSC.
• Meat, poultry and processed egg products: FSIS.
• Other food, drugs, supplements, cosmetics and medical devices: FDA.
• Vehicles, tires and car seats: NHTSA. For a vehicle, search by its VIN on NHTSA's recall site.

Step 3 — Search by name and brand first, UPC second

UPC feels like the precise way to search, but most recall notices do not list one. Of the 546 recalls Recalert recorded in September 2026, only 59 (about 11%) included a UPC. If you search only by UPC and find nothing, you have not ruled anything out.

Search by brand plus product name, then narrow the results using the lot or date code.

Step 4 — Compare your details to the notice

A recall almost always covers specific lots, date codes, model numbers or a production period, not every unit of a product. Open the official notice and compare. If your lot or date code is in the range, your unit is affected. If it is not listed, your unit is not covered by that notice.

Step 5 — If it was recalled

• Stop using it, and if you sell it, pull it from every channel.
• Follow the remedy in the notice: return, repair, refund or disposal.
• Keep the receipt, the package and a photo of the lot code.
• Contact the company or seller named in the notice.

Common mistakes

• Searching only one agency.
• Searching only by UPC.
• Ignoring lot and date codes.
• Checking once and never again: new recalls are published every day.

A faster way

Recalert searches recalls from the CPSC, FDA, NHTSA and FSIS in one place, by product, brand, model or UPC, and every result links to its official agency notice. To check many products, run up to 10 for free with no account, or monitor your whole catalog automatically with a paid plan.