Baby food recalls: how to check and what to do

Why food gets recalled

A recall means a company takes a product off the market because it may make people ill. Government agencies can ask for or require it. Common reasons include (FoodSafety.gov, FSA):

• Germs, such as Salmonella, Listeria or E. coli
• Pieces of glass, metal or plastic that could cause injury or choking
• An allergen, such as milk, egg or peanut, that isn’t listed on the label
• Contaminants, such as lead. In 2025, the AAP listed recalls of baby food pouches and purées for high lead levels.

Most recalls are about products that never reach your child. Checking now and then, and acting quickly when one matches, is enough.

How to check for recalls

In the US

• The FDA’s recalls page lists recalls of foods, medicines and other products it regulates. You can filter by product type (choose “Food & Beverages”) and sign up for email alerts. Notices stay on the page for three years, then move to the FDA archive (FDA).
• FoodSafety.gov shows recalls and public health alerts from both the FDA and the USDA in one place. Different agencies cover different foods (for example, the USDA handles meat and poultry), so this is the easiest single place to look (FoodSafety.gov).

In the UK

• The Food Standards Agency (FSA) alerts page lists Food Alerts (for safety problems like germs or foreign objects) and Allergy Alerts (for missing or wrong allergen information) (FSA).
• Sign up for FSA food alerts by email. Allergy alerts are free, by email or text message, and you can choose all allergens or only your child’s allergy (GOV.UK).

Check the cupboard, not just the shops

Pouches and jars keep for a long time. After lead and chromium were found in apple cinnamon fruit purée pouches in 2023, the FDA warned that the recalled pouches had a long shelf life, so families should check their homes and throw any away, even after the products were off the shelves.

Does my product match?

Recalls are very specific. A product is only part of a recall if every detail matches: brand, product name, size, batch or lot number, and use-by or best-before date (FoodSafety.gov, FSA). Notices usually include photos. If one detail is different, the product isn’t part of that recall.

What to do with a recalled product

1. Don’t eat it or feed it to anyone, and don’t open it to use it (FoodSafety.gov).
2. Follow the notice. It will say whether to return the product to the store for a refund or throw it away, and how (FoodSafety.gov, FSA).
3. If the notice tells you to throw pouches away, follow it. In the 2023 lead recall, the FDA’s advice was to open each pouch only to empty it into the trash, then throw the packaging away, so no one can take it out of the bin and use it. Then clean up any spills and wash your hands.
4. If it was recalled for germs and you’ve opened it or stored it in the fridge, throw it out and clean up: wash cookware, utensils, cutting boards, counters and fridge shelves in hot soapy water, then use a sanitizing solution and let everything air dry (FoodSafety.gov).
5. If it was recalled for an allergen and it’s been served, wash plates, pans, utensils and counters it touched with soap and water (FoodSafety.gov).
6. Keep a note of the product name, lot number and roughly how much your child ate, in case you need to talk to a doctor.

If your child has already eaten it

What to do depends on why the product was recalled. If you’re unsure, call your pediatrician, GP or health visitor and tell them what your child ate.

Lead or other metals

Lead often causes no obvious symptoms in children, so you can’t tell from how your child seems (CDC). The CDC says that if you think your child has been exposed to lead, talk to their healthcare provider, who can decide whether a blood lead test is needed. The AAP and FDA give the same advice for recalled baby foods.

• A blood lead test is the best way to check exposure (CDC). Many US insurance plans cover it, and Medicaid covers it for enrolled children (CDC).
• In the 2023 pouch recall, the FDA listed headache, tummy pain, vomiting and anemia as possible short-term symptoms. Don’t wait for symptoms before you call.
• The FDA later said that children who ate those pouches may also have been exposed to chromium, and should tell their healthcare provider so they can monitor their health. If your child ate them, mention both lead and chromium.
• For other sources of lead at home and in food, see heavy metals in baby food.

Germs

Food poisoning symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, tummy pain and fever, usually start within a few days (FSA). Young children are a vulnerable group, so the FSA says to take extra care and get medical advice if needed. See food poisoning in babies for signs of dehydration and when to call.

An allergen that wasn’t on the label

If your child has that allergy, or hasn’t had that food before, watch them closely for the next couple of hours. For a few hives, a rash or vomiting once, call your pediatrician or GP. Trouble breathing, wheezing, lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or turning pale or floppy are signs of anaphylaxis. If your child has an epinephrine (adrenaline) auto-injector, use it right away, then call for an ambulance (see below). If you don’t have one, call straight away. Keep your child lying down, never standing or walking (on their side if they’re vomiting, head and shoulders a little raised if breathing is hard). See signs of anaphylaxis.

Botulism

If a food or formula is recalled for botulism, watch for the signs in a baby: constipation, poor feeding, drooping eyelids, a face that shows less expression than usual, or a weak cry that sounds different (CDC). If constipation is the only sign, call your pediatrician or GP the same day and tell them about the recall. Botulism can weaken the muscles used for breathing (CDC), so constipation with any other sign, or any of the other signs on their own, is an emergency (see below). See honey and botulism.

Glass, metal or plastic

If your child seems fine, call your pediatrician or GP for advice.

If your child can’t breathe, cough or cry, they may be choking: start choking first aid straight away. Shout for help and have someone call 911 straight away. If you’re alone and your phone is with you, put it on speaker, call, and start back blows at once. Don’t leave your child to find a phone.Shout for help and start back blows and thrusts straight away. If someone is with you, ask them to call 999 now. If you’re alone, call 999 (on speaker) if the blockage hasn’t cleared after one round of back blows and thrusts, and keep going until help arrives.Shout for help and have someone call your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) straight away. If you’re alone and your phone is with you, put it on speaker, call, and start back blows at once.

If they’re drooling and struggling to swallow, call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia).

When to get emergency help

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) straight away if, after eating a recalled product, your child:

• is choking, or is drooling and can’t swallow
• has trouble breathing, wheezing or a cough that won’t stop
• has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or trouble swallowing
• is floppy, very sleepy, hard to wake or not responding as usual
• has a seizure
• keeps vomiting and is pale, floppy or very sleepy
• shows signs of botulism: poor feeding, a weak cry, drooping eyelids, a face with less expression than usual, or a floppy body or head

If they have an epinephrine (adrenaline) auto-injector and show signs of anaphylaxis, use it right away, then call for an ambulance. If you don’t have one, call straight away. Keep your child lying down, never standing or walking (on their side if they’re vomiting, head and shoulders a little raised if breathing is hard).

Reporting a problem

If you think a food made your child ill or you find something wrong with it, report it. In the US, the FDA site has a “Report a Product Problem” link. In the UK, the FSA says to contact the business you bought it from and your local authority’s food safety team.

Where US and UK advice differs

• Who issues recalls. In the US, the FDA and the USDA share the job, and FoodSafety.gov brings their notices together. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency issues food and allergy alerts, and you can sign up for them on GOV.UK.
• Getting advice. In the US, call your pediatrician. In the UK, call your GP or health visitor, or NHS 111 if you’re not sure what to do.