Why we are seeing so many food recalls in France

Cheese, meat, eggs…it seems a new food recall comes into effect regularly, with RappelConso (the government’s public recall website), listing products not to eat or to return. 

Figures from RappelConso show that the number of published recall notices has varied from year to year since the system was introduced. There were 2,720 recall notices in 2021, although that figure only covers the period from March, when the system became operational. 

The number fell to 1,882 in 2022 and 1,445 in 2023, before rising again to 1,473 in 2024 and 1,642 in 2025. 

So far in 2026, 1,060 recall notices had been recorded up to August 25.

The figures therefore do not show a simple year-on-year increase. In fact, the number of notices in 2025 was still well below the 2021 figure, although recalls have increased since the low point recorded in 2023.

Why does it feel like there are so many?

The Agriculture Ministry said the main reason is greater visibility.

“Efforts made in recent years, including the launch of the RappelConso website in 2021, the publication of the new Guide to the Management of Food-Origin Alerts in 2023, and control operations carried out by State services, have led to greater visibility of recalls among consumers,” the ministry said to The Connexion.

“This increased visibility of food alerts may give the impression that they are more numerous, but this is not the case.”

RappelConso is now the official public website for consumer product recalls in France. Since April 2021, professionals have been required to declare recalls intended for consumers on the platform.

This means consumers have a much easier way of finding out when a product has been recalled than in the past.

The system also brings together food and non-food recalls, with the Agriculture Ministry responsible for food products.

One alert does not always mean one product

The Ministry also said that one food alert can result in several separate RappelConso notices. For example, the same product may be sold under different brands, or several recipe variants may be affected.

The data also show that the number of products or GTINs (product barcodes) affected is higher than the number of recall notices. In 2025, for example, there were 1,642 recall notices covering 2,056 products/GTINs.

This distinction means that simply counting the number of notices does not necessarily tell us how many separate food safety incidents have occurred.

What causes a food recall?

A food alert is triggered when an anomaly is identified in a food product that could present a potential danger to consumers. This can include bacteria or chemical contaminants.

The Agriculture Ministry said alerts are most often detected through checks and analyses carried out by food businesses themselves. They can also follow consumer complaints or investigations into groups of people who have become ill.

When a product has already reached consumers and could still be consumed or cause harm, it is recalled.

The objective is not only to remove the product from circulation, but also to inform people who may already have bought it and prevent the same problem from happening again.

New products, businesses and eating habits

The Ministry also said that the food alert system is constantly evolving.

“Food alerts are constantly changing,” it said. “New businesses are established, new products and new consumption patterns develop, which can generate new hazards.”

At the same time, food safety standards themselves change as scientific knowledge and practices develop.

“Health standards are also evolving. They accompany the progress that has been made and changes in practices in order to guarantee a high level of food safety.”

The Ministry also said that instead of seeing the recalls as evidence that the food system is becoming less safe, we can also see it as an indication that potential problems are being detected.

“Alerts are therefore evidence of an active and vigilant control system,” it said.