Recall classes explained: Class I, II, and III
U.S. food and drug recalls are graded on a three-class severity scale used by both FDA and USDA-FSIS (official definitions). The class is assigned by the agency after a health hazard evaluation — which is why new recalls sometimes appear as "Not Yet Classified" and receive a class later.
Class I — most serious
A reasonable probability that use of or exposure to the product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death. Typical examples: ready-to-eat food with Listeria monocytogenes, an undeclared peanut allergen in a snack, botulinum risk in canned goods.
Class II
Use may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, or the probability of serious harm is remote. Example: trace undeclared allergen at low levels, or quality defects with limited health impact.
Class III
Use is not likely to cause adverse health consequences — labeling or quality violations like a missing net-weight statement.
Public Health Alerts (USDA)
USDA-FSIS additionally issues Public Health Alerts when a recall can't be requested — for example, when the product is no longer in commerce — but the public still needs the warning.
How this site uses classes
Every recall table on Recall Bench shows the official class as a color-coded badge (Class I Class II Class III). The statistics pages break down per-year counts by class. CPSC and NHTSA do not use this scale.
See current: food recalls by class · all recall events
Reviewed against agency definitions; page rebuilt nightly (as of ).