Food Recall Response Checklist for Pittsburgh Food Service

Immediate Actions: First 2 Hours of Recall Notification

Upon learning of a recall affecting your inventory, immediately stop serving the implicated product and segregate all affected items in a designated, labeled area away from food prep zones. Contact your food service supervisor, manager, and owner to initiate your crisis response team. Check all invoices, delivery receipts, and inventory records from the past 30 days to identify lot codes, product codes, and quantities received—this documentation is required by the FDA and PDA during investigations. Contact your distributor or supplier to confirm whether your facility received recalled product and request written confirmation of the recall notification date, the reason for recall (allergen, pathogen, foreign material), and product identifiers (UPC, lot number, date codes). Document the exact time you received the recall alert and by what method (email, phone, Panko Alerts notification, distributor call) for your compliance record.

Customer Notification & Traceability Requirements

Pennsylvania's Food Safety Act requires you to notify any customers who received recalled products if the recall involves a pathogen (Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella) or serious allergen (undeclared nuts, shellfish, milk). Consult your sales records, receipt systems, and credit card processing logs to identify customers by date range and item ordered. The Pittsburgh Allegheny County Health Department expects written customer notification within 24 hours of initiating your recall response; email is acceptable if you have customer addresses, but direct calls are preferable for high-risk recalls. Retain copies of all customer notifications (emails, letters, phone logs) and customer responses for at least 2 years—inspectors will request these during follow-up visits. If you served customers on-site, post a notice at your entrance and on your website explaining the recall, the product name, date range of service, and any health risks, with guidance to contact their physician or health department if symptomatic.

Disposal, Documentation & Inspection Readiness

Do not dispose of recalled product without written authorization from the FDA, PDA, or Pittsburgh Allegheny County Health Department unless the recall notice explicitly permits it. Photographically document all recalled product packaging (including lot codes and expiration dates) before removal, then segregate items in sealed containers or discard according to your approved Food Safety Plan. Maintain detailed disposal records including the date, time, quantity, product name, lot number, disposal method (trash, incineration, returned to supplier), and the name of the staff member who supervised disposal. Notify the Pittsburgh Allegheny County Health Department (412-578-8044) of the recall and your response within 24 hours; provide your facility permit number, product details, quantity involved, and corrective actions taken. Prepare a written incident report summarizing the timeline (when you learned of recall, when you notified customers, when you completed disposal), the reason for the recall, the total number of customers potentially affected, and any customer complaints or illnesses reported—this is a standard inspection item during follow-up audits.

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