Product recall glossary

Plain-English definitions of the terms you'll see in Irish product recalls and safety notices.

Product recall: An action to remove an unsafe product from sale and from people's homes, usually offering a refund, repair or replacement. In Ireland recalls are issued by the manufacturer or distributor, often prompted by a regulator such as the FSAI, CCPC or RSA.
Safety alert (product safety notice): A warning that a product may be unsafe. It may advise people to stop using the product or check for a fault, and can precede or accompany a full recall.
Allergen alert: A food notice issued when a product contains an allergen (such as milk, peanuts, gluten or sesame) that is not declared on the label. It is a risk to people with that food allergy even though the food is otherwise safe to eat.
Open recall: A recall on a specific item that has not yet been repaired. It is most common on used and imported vehicles, where the manufacturer's letter may never have reached the current owner. Once the free repair is done, the recall is closed.
Batch code: A code printed on a product or its packaging that identifies when and where it was made. Recalls usually affect only specific batch codes, so you check the code on your item against the ones listed in the notice.
Best-before / use-by date: Dates printed on food that recalls often use to identify affected stock. A use-by date is about safety; a best-before date is about quality. Match the date on your pack against the notice.
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): The 17-character number unique to a vehicle, found on the Vehicle Registration Certificate, the base of the windscreen, or the driver's door frame. A dealer uses it to check whether a car has an outstanding recall.
Withdrawal: Removing a product from sale before it reaches consumers, or retracting an earlier notice. A withdrawal is not the same as a recall, which also asks people who already have the product to act.
CE mark: A marking that indicates a product is declared to meet EU safety standards. A missing or fake CE mark is a common reason products sold on online marketplaces are recalled.
FSAI, CCPC and RSA: The three official Irish bodies whose recalls Recalls.ie aggregates: the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (food and allergens), the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (consumer products), and the Road Safety Authority (vehicles).