It has probably happened to you in the past, and it will probably happen again: a recall. A recall is what happens when a product is determined to be unsafe, and the public is asked to stop using and return the item right away. Sometimes the recalled item is food, and sometimes it is something like furniture, or a grill or a stroller.
Returning recalled merchandise, of course, becomes impossible and a little disconcerting if the item was, say, a package of bologna, and you just polished off a bologna sandwich. Whoops.
It is far easier, of course, to return a pair of pajamas because it turns out the material is flammable and thus potentially unsafe.
So what should you do if an item is recalled? Whether it’s food-related or a tangible good, much of what you do is pretty self-explanatory, but we’ll walk through your options.
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Your Recourse if Something You Own Has Been Recalled
“Most product recalls will include instructions on what the consumer should do. Typically, you’ll be asked to return the product to the store where you purchased it, and in most cases, you’ll be offered a refund at the store. However, depending on what type of product it is, the instructions and remedies will vary,” says David Chami, attorney and managing partner of Consumer Attorneys, a background check and credit reporting law firm. Chami, however, specializes in consumer protection cases and is the state co-chair for the National Association of Consumer Advocates in Arizona.
In general, if you’ve purchased something that has been recalled, grab the receipt or some documentation proving that you made the purchase, such as a credit card statement, and take the item back to the store to get your money back.
What Is the Best Way to Handle Recalled Food Items?
“In the case of food recalls, the item is usually being recalled as a precautionary measure out of concern that the item may be contaminated. Consumers should not open the item and should return it to the store where it was purchased,” Chami says.
That’s the ideal. If you don’t feel like it’s worth your time to return the recalled food, toss it in the trash. But don’t eat it.
It really is disconcerting to consider how often food is recalled. It probably happens more than you realize.
“Throughout the first five months of 2023, America experienced 125 food recalls involving bacterial contamination, undeclared ingredients and even broken glass. That is an average of 25 recalls per month,” says Angela Fernandez, the vice president of community engagement at GS1 US, a nonprofit and the global identification standards body for barcodes.
Fernandez has spent more than 20 years working on recall issues, working with companies such as manufacturers, food service operators and retailers.
And just as there are many instances of recalled foods happening, food is recalled for a variety of reasons. In the last several weeks, the following recalls have included the following incidents:
— The H.T. Hackney Company of Indianapolis recalled some salad mixes in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio because there may have been metal in the product.
— General Mills did a recall of some of its Gold Medal flour, for fears of it being contaminated with Salmonella.
— SunOpta Grains and Foods Inc. recalled 32,400 pounds of organic pineapple chunks that may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
— J.T.M. Provisions Company recalled 22,530 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat beef chili with beans for the fear of people eating it and finding pieces of white plastic in it.
— Regal Health Food International recalled some tubs of chocolate-covered raisins sold at Dollar General stores over worries that there might be undeclared peanuts in them. This could be a serious problem if you have a peanut allergy.
It’s understandable if you’re starting to hatch unrealistic plans now to start making and growing your own food. Still, Fernandez sees some hope on the horizon. Technology allowing companies to keep track of where their food travels on the supply chain is improving, and the federal government has been pushing food manufacturers to improve what they’re doing.
“The industry is actively working to address product recalls with even stricter supply chain traceability requirements for high-risk foods through the US FDA’s Food Traceability Final Rule, part of section 204 under the Food Safety Modernization Act. The Final Rule will allow for faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market,” Fernandez says.
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What to Do if You Eat Recalled Food
Hope that nothing bad happens.
Chami says that if you have eaten a recalled food item and become sick, you should (of course) immediately seek medical attention.
You can sue if you get sick from a recalled food item, and you may well have a case.
“Depending on the extent of the injury or financial losses a consumer should contact an attorney to learn more about their rights to determine if a lawsuit is the right option,” Chami says. “In most cases, the extent of the injury will impact whether a lawsuit makes sense. At a minimum, consumers should report their injuries to the attorney general’s office in their state.”
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What to Do if Merchandise Has Been Recalled
You’ll want to do a couple things:
— Take the merchandise back for a refund. Or if that isn’t practical or you are simply unwilling, you may want to toss it, so it can spend the rest of its days in a landfill.
— Read up on why there has been a recall. If you learn that something you own has been recalled, you shouldn’t shrug and decide it isn’t a big deal because the product seems fine to you.
“In most cases, a product recall is initiated due to serious safety concerns and oftentimes can result in physical injuries, including death,” Chami says. “The company will send a notice to purchasers of the product and will typically make a public announcement.”
Chami isn’t being alarmist. Product recalls can wind up being very serious. For instance, back in 2021, a baby pillow was recalled, and you would think that would be the end of that. But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently revealed that the pillow has been linked to at least 10 infant deaths. When Boppy’s Newborn Lounger was recalled back then, eight deaths had been reported, but since then, at least two more babies have died.
This is why it’s so important, if you learn a product of yours has been recalled, to not just tune it out. Just because the product has been working fine, that doesn’t mean it will continue to, and if you keep it and someday, sell it in a garage sale, you’re passing on potential dangers to a stranger. That’s apparently what happened with Boppy’s Newborn Lounger; you can still find them being sold at places like Facebook Marketplace.
Just as food items can really go awry, here a few product recalls that have happened in recent days:
— Ashley Furniture Industries recalled “Party Time Power” loveseats, sofas and recliners due to them being a fire hazard. The furniture has cupholders with LED lighting that can overheat.
— Ford just recalled over 125,000 Ford Maverick pickups, Ford Escapes and Lincoln Corsair SUVs, due to an issue with the engine. It could catch on fire. “In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel vapor may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine or exhaust components, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported on its website.
— Empower Brands issued a safety recall for their Power XL Self-Cleaning Juicers. The juicers have had the product rupture during use. There is a risk of consumers being struck once the juicer ruptures, and there’s also the danger of particle shavings winding up in the juice, which could wind up being problematic if you drink the juice.
A Few More Things to Consider About Recalls
Chances are, you have plenty on your plate already, but if you want to stay informed about food recalls and merchandise recalls, you may want to get familiar with a few websites:
— SaferProducts.gov: It’s a website produced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and it has all sorts of information about recalled products.
— FoodSafetyNews.com: Put out by Marler Clark, a food safety law firm, this has all sorts of current information about food recalls.
— Recalls.gov: Another federal government website, with numerous federal agencies offering information on recalls about just about everything, including food, motor vehicles, cosmetics and medicine.
If you learn that something you own or have ingested is recalled, you definitely do want to pay attention. You’re looking for a bargain when you shop, but if you ignore recalled merchandise, you may get far more trouble than you bargained for.
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What to Do if Something Is Recalled originally appeared on usnews.com
