00WHAT THE OFFICIAL LISTS SAY

Is it on
the list?

A tidy kitchen worktop with a kettle, a toaster and a small blender, all plain and unbranded, in soft morning light — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Unsafe products get recalled more often than you might think.

In the UK, recalls are published in three main places: one list for everyday products, one for food and drink, and one for vehicles, parts and child car seats. Knowing which to check, and what each notice means, takes a minute.

3 LISTSproducts, food, vehiclesUpdated 14 October 2026

Check a notice

01Principles

Check the right list
Read the notice type
Act on a recall
From kitchen shelf to driveway

02THE SHORT ANSWER

Three lists,
one habit.

Each kind of product has its own regulator and its own list.
Subscribing to updates means you hear about new recalls.

EVERYDAY PRODUCTS

The OPSS list

The Office for Product Safety and Standards publishes product recalls, safety reports and safety alerts. You can search it and subscribe to email updates. It does not cover food, vehicles or medicines.

Check a notice

FOOD AND DRINK

Food and allergy alerts

The Food Standards Agency publishes food alerts and allergy alerts, often when allergen labelling is missing or wrong. Food Standards Scotland does the same in Scotland.

See the numbers

VEHICLES

Check by registration

GOV.UK lets you check a car's safety recalls by its registration number, plus other vehicles, tyres, seat belts and child car seats by make and model.

How to check

General information only, not financial advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to a regulated financial adviser or a free money-advice service.

03A QUICK NOTICE CHECK

What kind of notice
have you found?

Pick a type of notice to see what it means. The bar shows how much the notice is likely to ask of you as a consumer.

Based on GOV.UK Product Recalls and Alerts (OPSS), GOV.UK vehicle recall checker and Aberdeenshire Council's guide to Food Standards Scotland alerts.

Notice check

Choose a noticeWithdrawal information noticeProduct safety reportAllergy alertProduct recallVehicle safety recall

Withdrawal information noticeTaken off sale

Food withdrawn from food businesses rather than recalled from consumers. No specific action is required by local authorities.

Product safety reportCorrective action

A specific product found in the UK where corrective measures other than a recall have been ordered by an authority or are being taken by a business.

Allergy alertCheck if allergic

Used to quickly communicate allergen risks directly to consumers, for example when allergy labelling is missing or incorrect.

Product recallAct on it

A specific product sold in the UK that may require you to act to receive a free replacement, repair or refund from the manufacturer or a retailer.

Vehicle safety recallGet it fixed

The manufacturer must fix or replace the problem and you will not usually pay. If there is a serious safety defect, they will write to you, and you must not drive the vehicle.

Sources: GOV.UK Product Recalls and Alerts (OPSS); GOV.UK Check if a vehicle, part or accessory has been recalled; Aberdeenshire Council, Food Alerts.

04TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Allergens drive
many food alerts.

Both figures come from the Food Standards Agency's alerts list,
as it stood when we checked in October 2026.

370 of 700

Allergy alerts among 700 alerts on the FSA alerts list

When we checked the Food Standards Agency's alerts site in October 2026, it listed 700 results: 370 allergy alerts and 330 food alerts.

FOOD ALERTS · FSA

129

Alerts tagged with milk, the most common allergen on the list

Milk was the allergen tagged most often, on 129 alerts, followed by peanuts on 85 and gluten on 71.

ALLERGENS · FSA

The OPSS list covers everyday consumer products. For food and drink, vehicles, and medicines and medical devices, GOV.UK points to the Food Standards Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

05FOUR HABITS TO TRY

A minute now,
fewer surprises later.

These steps follow the official GOV.UK guidance on product and vehicle recalls.

Search the product list
Search the OPSS Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls list for products you own, and subscribe to email updates for new ones.
Check your car's registration
Enter the registration on GOV.UK to see safety recalls that have not been checked or fixed, alongside its MOT history.
Check car seats and tyres
Parts and accessories such as child car seats, seat belts and tyres can be checked by manufacturer and model.
Report an unsafe product
If a product seems unsafe or has caused injury or damage, GOV.UK explains how to report it to the authorities.

A family car parked on a home driveway with its bonnet open on a bright day — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

06WHO DOES WHAT

Behind every
recall notice.

Hands holding a plain food packet in front of an open kitchen cupboard, turning it over to check the back — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Product safety in the UK is regulated by market surveillance authorities, including the Office for Product Safety and Standards and local trading standards. When they find an unsafe product, or a business tells them about one, it must be recorded on the Product Safety Database.

Products that present a serious or high risk, and those recalled or put through a modification programme, are published on the public list. For food, alerts are usually issued alongside a withdrawal or recall by a manufacturer, retailer or distributor.

07Questions

Questions people ask

Where can I check if a product has been recalled in the UK?

For everyday consumer products, search the Office for Product Safety and Standards list of Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls on GOV.UK. Food, vehicles and medicines have their own lists.

What does a product recall entitle me to?

GOV.UK says a product recall may require you to act to receive a free replacement, repair or refund from the manufacturer or a retailer.

How do I check if my car has a safety recall?

Use the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker with the registration number. It shows safety recalls that have not been checked or fixed. You will not usually have to pay for repairs.

What is an allergy alert?

An alert used to quickly tell consumers about an allergen risk, often when allergy labelling is missing or incorrect. The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland publish them.

What is the difference between a recall and a withdrawal?

For food, Aberdeenshire Council's guide to Food Standards Scotland alerts says a recall relates to recalling food from consumers, while a withdrawal relates to withdrawing food from food businesses.

08Sources

Is it on
the list?