Methodology
How RecallCheck reaches a result.
RecallCheck is an independent ITSBAD Labs product that helps consumers compare packaged-food information with available official recall records. FDA and USDA notices remain authoritative.
Data sources
FDA recall announcements are refreshed from the FDA's official firm-issued recall data. Meat, poultry, and related USDA notices are refreshed from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recall data. The sources are refreshed independently so a problem with one source does not erase the other source's last known records.
Barcode and product matching
RecallCheck evaluates exact UPC and GTIN identifiers first and recognizes equivalent zero-padded GTIN forms. Product identity information may come from Open Food Facts. When a usable barcode is not present in an official recall, related product information can help the user find a relevant notice for manual review.
Text search is intended for product, brand, and recalling-company discovery. It is less specific than checking a package barcode.
Package verification
A barcode usually identifies a product type, not a production lot. If a recall lists a lot code, date code, package size, USDA establishment number, or another package-specific identifier, RecallCheck treats that detail as a separate verification step rather than assuming every package with the barcode is affected.
Current and older recalls
RecallCheck normalizes source lifecycle information to distinguish actionable records from records identified as closed or terminated. An unknown lifecycle is not automatically treated as active, and historical similarity is not presented as confirmation of a current recall.
Filters
The Current recalls page includes practical filters such as FDA, USDA, meat and poultry, dairy and eggs, prepared foods, allergens, and contamination. Agency filters use the normalized source agency. Topic filters use conservative terms found in recall fields and are discovery aids, not official regulatory categories.
Data freshness
RecallCheck reports source-specific status rather than treating a successful update from one agency as proof that both sources are current. The interface can show when each source was checked, the last successful retrieval, and the newest recall date available from that source.
Limitations
Official data can be delayed or incomplete, some recalls do not include barcodes, and a barcode may identify a product without identifying the affected production lot. RecallCheck does not diagnose illness or determine whether a food is safe to eat.
Privacy
RecallCheck requires no account. Camera frames remain on the device. The browser may save up to six recent checks in local storage so the user can check a product again; those records remain on that device unless the user clears them. See the Privacy page for details.