Food Safety and Standards

Food Alerts

What are Food Alerts?

Food Alerts (previously known as Food Hazard Warnings) are issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) when they know or suspect that there are safety problems with a particular type of food.

The alerts are used to inform local authorities and consumers of the safety concerns and in some cases provide details of specific action that must be taken, usually a product withdrawal or recall by a manufacturer, retailer or distributor.

Food Alerts are issued in a number of categories:

• Food Alerts for Action
• Product Recall Information Notices,
• Product Withdrawal Information Notices and
• Allergy Alerts.

Alerts may include specific action that needs to be taken to ensure that the public are protected from any risks posed by the food that is the subject of the alert

Food Alerts are also copied to Consultants in Communicable Disease Control, Trading Standards Officers and food trade organisations, to alert them to current food issues.

A list of recent Alerts can be viewed on the Food Standards Agency website.