There’s An App For That — Defective Products and Recalls

Anything you might want to know about recalled products is now available online with each of the federal agencies having its own website.

  • The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has jurisdiction over some 15,000 categories of products such as appliances, clothing, electronics, furniture, household and children’s items, lighting, outdoor and sports equipment. In addition to reporting all recalls, the website includes a reporting form so that consumers can report potentially dangerous products.
  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does the recalling on cars and trucks. To keep informed, you can even sign up for an email alert specific to your make and model of automobile.
  • FoodSafety.gov is the website for food recalls and alerts. The listing of food recalls is quite frightening. This website is jointly operated by a consortium of federal agencies: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Information on safe handling of food is alongside the official recalls of contaminated food products. To stay informed, there is a widget download available.
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains its website for notices of drug approvals, new standards for treatment, cosmetics and of course, drug recalls. You can follow the FDA with Twitter or email alerts. With the flu season in full swing, the site includes the various vaccines available this year.

Although keeping up with product recalls has come into the twenty-first century, even an informed consumer might be injured by a faulty product or contaminant. If you’re hurt by a defective product ¾ get skilled legal help today.