Food Recall Plan

A Food Recall Plan is mandatory for all Central FSSAI Licence holders. It is also highly recommended for State FSSAI Licence holders as it helps in compliance during inspections and in case of any food safety incident. Basic Registration holders typically do not need a recall plan, but it is good practice to have one.

FSSAI classifies food recalls into three categories: (1) Class I Recall — situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to the food product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death, (2) Class II Recall — situation where use of or exposure to the product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, (3) Class III Recall — situation where use of or exposure to the product is not likely to cause any adverse health consequences.

For Central FSSAI Licence, a Food Recall Plan is a mandatory document that must be submitted as part of the application. It is also requested during physical inspection. For State Licence, it is not mandatory but may be requested by the inspecting authority. Submitting a recall plan demonstrates your commitment to food safety.

A Food Recall Plan should be reviewed and updated at least once a year, or whenever there are significant changes in your business — such as new products, changed supply chain, change in key personnel, or after a mock recall exercise. Keeping the plan updated ensures it remains effective and compliant with current FSSAI guidelines.

A mock recall is a simulated exercise to test your recall plan's effectiveness without actually removing products from the market. It helps identify gaps in the plan and trains employees on their roles during an actual recall. FSSAI recommends conducting mock recalls at least once a year. Our team can help you design and conduct mock recall exercises.

Yes, while a Food Recall Plan is mandatory only for Central FSSAI Licence holders, State licence holders are strongly encouraged to prepare one. Having a recall plan demonstrates food safety commitment, helps during inspections, and prepares your business to handle any food safety incident efficiently and protect consumer health.

The recall team should include: a Recall Coordinator who oversees the entire recall process, a Communications Officer who handles internal and external communications including consumer notifications, a Logistics Officer who manages product retrieval and storage, a Quality Assurance Officer who identifies affected batches, and a Legal Officer who manages regulatory compliance and reporting.

Consumer communication should be through press releases, social media, website notifications, and direct contact where possible. The communication must clearly describe the affected product, batch numbers, reason for recall, health risks, and instructions for return or disposal. FSSAI must be notified within 24 hours of initiating a Class I recall, and detailed reports must follow as per regulations.

You must maintain: recall initiation records and timelines, distribution and traceability records, customer notification proof, quantity of product returned and disposed, investigation findings identifying root cause, corrective action taken, post-recall effectiveness checks, and final recall summary report. These records may be reviewed by FSSAI during inspections.

A food recall is initiated when a food product poses a safety risk to consumers and requires removal from the market, often involving public notification and regulatory reporting. A food withdrawal is when a product is removed from the supply chain for non-safety reasons (like labeling errors or quality issues) before it reaches consumers. Recalls are more serious and have stricter regulatory requirements.