Statistics: Food recall incidents and food recalls

A food recall is the removal of a food from further sale or use, or the correction of its label, at any point in the supply chain as a risk mitigation action. It is the responsibility of industry to effectively remove the recalled food from the marketplace.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) role is to inform the public, oversee implementation of the recall and verify that industry has effectively removed recalled food from the marketplace.

The CFIA oversees approximately 161 recall incidents a year.

Most recalls in Canada are voluntary meaning that they are conducted by the recalling food business, with oversight from the CFIA. If a food business is unable or refuses to conduct a voluntary food recall, the Minister of Health has the power to order a mandatory recall for any food that poses a health risk.

To read more about food recalls, please consult our fact sheet.

Informing the public

Informing the public about high risk recalls is critical as consumers may have recalled food in their homes that they should not consume.

The CFIA issues recall warnings through the media to inform the public about high risk recalls
The CFIA also posts all food recalls on the Recalls and safety alerts website
Subscribe to receive the latest recall information.
You can also view public health notices issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada

Food recall incidents and total recalls

A recall incident represents a breakdown in the food safety system leading to the request for a recall. A recall incident may lead to additional recalls (secondary) and have a common factor(s) such as product, cause, process deviation, etc. (For example, an out of country manufacturer recalls food that was shipped to 5 importers. This is captured as 1 recall incident and 5 recalls in total.)

The total number of food recalls is the measure of all recalls conducted and includes recall incidents and secondary recalls. The number of secondary recalls varies by recall incident.

Food recall incidents and total recalls: April 2019 - March 2024. Description follows.

Food recall incidents and total recalls per fiscal year from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024
-	April 19 to March 20	April 20 to March 21	April 21 to March 22	April 22 to March 23	April 23 to March 24
Number of recall incidents	188	158	137	153	172
Number of total food recalls	560	223	248	253	248

Food recall incidents and total recalls by hazard

Recall incidents by hazard per fiscal year from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024
-	April 19 to March 20	April 20 to March 21	April 21 to March 22	April 22 to March 23	April 23 to March 24
Allergen	66	59	51	68	51
Chemical	9	14	5	7	287
Extraneous material	30	24	17	28	19
Microbiological	77	53	61	48	62
Other	6	8	3	2	29

Total recalls by hazard per fiscal year: April 2019 - March 2024. Description follows.

Total recalls by hazard per fiscal year from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024
-	April 19 to March 20	April 20 to March 21	April 21 to March 22	April 22 to March 23	April 23 to March 24
Allergen	119	72	84	96	70
Chemical	15	18	11	8	46
Extraneous material	41	29	21	36	19
Microbiological	376	94	129	111	99
Other	9	10	3	2	51

Food recall incidents and total recalls by class

Recall incidents by Class per fiscal year from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024. Description follows.

Recall incidents by Class per fiscal year from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024
-	April 19 to March 20	April 20 to March 21	April 21 to March 22	April 22 to March 23	April 23 to March 24
Class I	55	55	56	47	45
Class II	69	56	49	76	81
Class III	64	47	32	30	46

Total recalls by Class per fiscal year from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024. Description follows.

Total recalls by Class per fiscal year from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024
-	April 19 to March 20	April 20 to March 21	April 21 to March 22	April 22 to March 23	April 23 to March 24
Class I	351	106	114	83	57
Class II	123	62	95	131	137
Class III	86	55	39	39	54

Glossary

Allergen: A food product may contain ingredients such as peanuts, milk or eggs that are not identified or are incorrectly identified on the label and that can cause adverse reactions in people who are allergic to the item.
Chemical: A food product contains chemical residues such as lead, mercury or pesticides that, at certain levels, can affect human health.
Extraneous material: A food product contains material from an outside source, such as metal, glass or hair. These are not necessarily a risk to human health.
Microbiological: A food product is contaminated by micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses or parasites, which have the potential to cause illness.
Other: A food product is of concern due to the presence of a hazard that does not fall within one of the above categories. Examples include non-permitted ingredients, nutrition concerns and potential tampering.