A recall letter tells everyone who received an affected product that it's being recalled, why, exactly which product and lots, and what to do with it. FDA's guidance on recall communications says it should be brief and to the point, identify the product, size and lot codes clearly, explain the reason and any hazard, give specific instructions, and give the recipient an easy way to report back whether they have any of the product. Send it to your direct customers first (the stores, cafés and distributors you shipped to), mark it clearly as a recall, follow up with anyone who doesn't reply, and record who was told and what came back. Below is what to include, a template to adapt, who gets one, and how to show the recall reached everyone.
The short version
- Say plainly that it's a recall, and mark the letter and envelope or subject line that way.
- Identify the product: name, size, lot codes, best-by dates, and how to find them on the pack.
- Say why, and what the hazard is.
- Say exactly what to do: stop selling, set aside, return or destroy, and how you'll credit them.
- Give a quick way to reply, and ask them to tell their own customers where appropriate.
- Leave out anything promotional or that softens the message.
- Record who was told, when, whether they replied, and how much came back.
- TaroStack produces the list of who got the lot, with contact details, in one report. More below.
What FDA says a recall communication should do
A recalling firm is responsible for promptly notifying each of its direct accounts. The communication should convey that the product is subject to a recall, that further distribution or use should stop immediately, that the account should notify its own customers where appropriate, and what to do with the product (21 CFR 7.49). It should be brief and to the point, identify the product, size and lot numbers or codes clearly, explain the reason and the hazard, give specific instructions, and give the recipient a ready way to report whether it has any of the product; it shouldn't include promotional material or anything that detracts from the message. The letter and envelope are marked as a food recall, and as urgent for the more serious classes of recall. Anyone who doesn't respond gets a follow-up.
If your facility needs a food safety plan, its written recall plan has to cover notifying direct consignees, notifying the public when appropriate, effectiveness checks, and disposing of the recalled food (21 CFR 117.139). If you think you have a recall on your hands, contact FDA or your state food safety agency early; they can guide the strategy and the classification. This is general information, not legal advice.
A template to adapt
URGENT: FOOD RECALL
To: [Customer name and contact]
Date: [Date]
Windward Roots is recalling the product below because [reason, e.g. it may contain
pieces of hard, burnt material that could pose a choking hazard].
Product: Taro Chips, 5 oz bag
Lot code: TC-261010-B (printed on the back of the bag, under the seal)
Best by: Jan 8, 2027
Shipped: October 8 to 12, 2026
What to do now:
1. Stop selling this product and remove it from your shelves.
2. Set it aside, apart from other stock.
3. Tell us how many bags you have, by replying to this message or calling [number].
4. We will collect them, or ask you to destroy them, and credit you in full.
5. If you sold any to your own customers, [ask them to return it / we will provide a notice].
No other lots or products are affected.
Contact: [Name], [phone], [email]
Keep it to one page, put the lot code where nobody can miss it, and send it by the fastest means you have, then confirm in writing if the first contact was a phone call.
Who gets one
| Recipient | How | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stores, cafés, distributors that received the lot | Phone first, then email or letter | Ask them to confirm and report quantities |
| Your own shop and stall | In person | Pull it yourself |
| Online customers | Email, from your order records | Include the lot and what to do |
| Market customers | A notice at the stall and online | You may not know who bought it |
| The public | A press release or public notice, when the hazard calls for it | With your regulator's advice |
Knowing who got the lot is the hard part, and it depends on recording which lot went to which customer at the time. How that chain works is in one up one back traceability, and the plan around it is in recall plan example.
Proving it reached everyone
An effectiveness check confirms the recall actually happened: everyone was told, and the product came off shelves. Practising the whole thing first is covered in food mock recall example. Keep a line per customer: how and when they were notified, whether they confirmed, what they had on hand, and what was returned or destroyed.
Download the recall notification log. It has a line per customer, shades anyone who hasn't confirmed, and totals how many were told, how many confirmed, and how much of what was shipped has been accounted for. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The letter is easy to write; the list of who should get it isn't. If the lot code wasn't recorded on each delivery, you recall everything shipped that month, to everyone, and hope. The contacts are in three places. And the replies come back by phone, email and text, so a week later nobody can say who still hasn't confirmed.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack gives you the recipient list for a recall in one report, built from what you recorded as you worked.
Who got the lot. Every delivery records which lot went to which customer, so one report walks a lot forward to every customer who received it, with contact details, and back to the batch and the supplier lots in it. It also shows what's still on your own shelves, at every site, so you can pull those first.
Only the right lots. Because each batch notes which ingredient lots it used, a supplier's recall of one lot points to the exact batches and customers, not everything you made that month. Customer returns go back into the lot they left in, so returned stock is still found by a later recall.
And practice before it's real. Timed, logged traceability drills let you run the trace before you ever need it, and show a buyer or inspector how long it took. Held stock sits apart from what's available, so recalled stock you still have can't be shipped by mistake. TaroStack doesn't send the letters or contact FDA for you; it makes sure you know who to send them to.
| The job | Without records | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Who got lot TC-261010-B | Search invoices and texts | One report, with contacts |
| What's still on our shelves | Walk every site | Shown per site |
| Which batches used the recalled ingredient | Everything that month | Exactly those batches |
| Practice | Never | Timed, logged drills |
Lots, recalls, holds and traceability drills are on every plan, from $49 a month; batches that note their ingredient lots are on Standard at $99. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.