How to read a USDA FSIS recall or public health alert

What each line of a Food Safety and Inspection Service record means for meat, poultry and egg products, how to find the establishment number on your package, and what a public health alert is.

Meat, poultry and processed egg products in the United States are inspected by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Other foods, including shell eggs, are the FDA's. An FSIS record on PlainRecords is FSIS's own entry, line by line, as FSIS published it. This guide explains the lines and the one line that identifies your package better than any other: the establishment number.

Where the record comes from

FSIS publishes recalls and public health alerts on fsis.usda.gov and in a data feed that PlainRecords downloads every day. A recall is carried out by the company, with FSIS. A public health alert is issued by FSIS when it has a concern about a product but a recall is not requested: often because the product is no longer for sale, or the company has not agreed to a recall, or the facts are still being gathered. Treat an alert like a recall: do not eat the product. Where our page and FSIS's page differ, FSIS's page is right; every record links to it.

The lines at the top

Date: the day FSIS published the entry. Last modified by FSIS: the day FSIS last changed it; FSIS updates entries when the product list grows or the recall closes.

Recall number: FSIS's identifier, such as 012-2026 for a recall or PHA-10062026-01 for a public health alert.

Recall type and status: FSIS's own labels for the kind of entry and whether it is active or closed. A closed recall is one FSIS has finished following; products that match it should still not be eaten.

Establishment: the company and plant that produced the product, with its establishment number. When FSIS's directory of plants lists that number, the page adds a line that links to the plant's page on PlainRecords (meat, poultry and egg plants).

The establishment number: how to match your package

Every package of federally inspected meat, poultry or egg product carries a USDA mark of inspection: for meat, a shield with "EST." and a number; for poultry, a circle that reads "Inspected for wholesomeness by U.S. Department of Agriculture" with the plant's number; for egg products, a mark with the plant's number. The number identifies the plant, and FSIS gives it in the establishment line. If the number on your package matches, and the product name and dates match, your package is in the recall. The number can be inside the mark, next to it, or elsewhere on the label, such as the lid or the packaging seam.

Products (as FSIS lists them): FSIS's list of the recalled products, with package sizes, labels, lot codes and "use by" or "pack" dates, in FSIS's words. Compare it with your package together with the establishment number.

The lines that say why, and how serious

Reason (FSIS's category): FSIS's category for the problem: product contamination (a germ such as Listeria, Salmonella or E. coli, or a foreign material such as metal or plastic), misbranding, an undeclared allergen, a product produced without inspection, or unfit for human consumption. Reason (FSIS) at the top of the page is FSIS's one-line summary.

Risk level (FSIS): FSIS's rating, in three classes. High - Class I: a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that eating the product will cause serious health problems or death. Low - Class II: a remote probability of health problems. Marginal - Class III: eating the product will not cause health problems. The record page shows the class as "risk class" too, so FSIS and FDA records read the same way.

Related to an outbreak (FSIS's mark): FSIS's own flag that the entry is linked to an outbreak of illness. When it is set, people have become sick; read the FSIS page for the latest.

Processing category: FSIS's category for how the product was made, for example "fully cooked, not shelf stable" or "raw, intact". It tells you how the product is stored and whether cooking was part of its process; it does not make a recalled product safe to eat.

The lines that say where and how much

States (FSIS's distribution list): the states FSIS lists as having received the product, or "nationwide". A state not named can still have the product through onward sales. Quantity recovered: how much product was recovered, when FSIS reports it, usually in pounds.

What the record does not tell you

• The stores. FSIS lists states, not stores; a retail list is sometimes added to FSIS's own page later.
• Illness counts. The outbreak mark says there is a link; the numbers are on FSIS's or the CDC's page.
• What the store will do. Most stores refund recalled food at the service desk; the FSIS entry does not say.

How to use the record, in short

1. Find the establishment number on your package and compare it with the establishment line; then compare the product and dates.
2. Read the risk level and the reason. For Class I, do not eat the product, and clean what it touched (see the food recall guide).
3. Return it to the store for a refund or throw it away sealed in a bag.
4. If you ate it and feel unwell, call a doctor. The CDC says serious Listeria illness usually starts within 2 weeks of eating the food, and it is most dangerous in pregnancy, for newborns, adults 65 or older and people with weak immune systems.
5. Questions about a meat, poultry or egg product: USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline, 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854), as FSIS's own recall notices give it.

How PlainRecords checks these records every day against FSIS's files: how we work.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between an FSIS recall and a public health alert?

A recall is carried out by the company with FSIS. A public health alert is issued by FSIS when a recall is not requested, often because the product is no longer for sale. Treat both the same way: do not eat the product.

Where is the establishment number on my package?

Inside or next to the USDA mark of inspection: a shield with "EST." and a number on meat, a circle with the plant's number on poultry. It can also be elsewhere on the label, such as the lid or the packaging seam.

What does "High - Class I" mean on an FSIS recall?

FSIS's most serious rating: there is a reasonable probability that eating the product will cause serious health problems or death.

Does FSIS cover eggs?

FSIS covers processed egg products, such as liquid or dried eggs. Shell eggs are the FDA's.

PlainRecords is independent and not affiliated with any agency or brand. This guide is general information, not medical or legal advice. Last reviewed Oct. 24, 2026.