Key contacts
The relevant authority is the official food inspection service of the federal states: you can find the food inspection service at the district offices or municipal authorities. A report will be drawn up there and the product in question will be sent for analysis. Further official samples will also be taken to investigate your complaint. This procedure will not incur any costs for you.
Burgenland
Food Safety Authority Burgenland
Carinthia
Official Food Inspection Authority of the Province of Carinthia
Lower Austria
Office of the Lower Austrian Provincial Government, Department of Veterinary Affairs and Food Control
Upper Austria
Office of the Upper Austrian Provincial Government, Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs
Salzburg
Official Food Inspection Authority of the Province of Salzburg
Styria
Food Safety Authority at the Office of the Styrian Provincial Government
Tyrol
Official Food Inspection Authority of the Province of Tyrol
Vorarlberg
Official Food Inspection Authority of the Province of Vorarlberg
Vienna
Food Inspection and Complaints – Vienna Market Office (MA 59)
Incidents or accidents involving hazardous consumer products such as
- Clothing & Accessories
- Home & furnishings
- Children’s products
- Leisure & sport
- Tools & craft supplies
You can report these informally
- in writing to the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Dept. III/A/3 – Product Safety, Stubenring 1, 1010 Vienna
- or by email to the Product Safety Department at produktsicherheit@sozialministerium.at
Further information can be found at: https://www.sozialministerium.at/Themen/Konsumentenschutz/Produktsicherheit/Gefaehrliche-Produkte-melden.html
Internet fraud
The Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications (ÖIAT) raises awareness about online scams and malware, provides information on data protection and fake online shops, and offers useful tips for the safe, responsible and informed use of digital media:
- Current warnings about fraud and other online scams can be found under "Watchlist Internet" (www.watchlist-internet.at)
- Lists of dubious websites, including fake shops, financial fraud and subscription traps, can be found under “Warnlisten der Watchlist Internet” (www.watchlist-internet.at/unserioese-webseiten)
- Help with problems relating to online shopping and other digital issues (copyright, data protection law, personal rights, etc.) under "Internet Ombudsstelle" (www.ombudsstelle.at)
You should always consult your doctor or pharmacist.
Patients also have the option of reporting side effects or adverse drug reactions electronically to the Federal Office for Health Safety.
If you suspect poisoning (caused by: medicines, chemicals, household products, addictive substances and stimulants, plants, animals or other or unknown substances), medical staff at the Poisons Information Centre are available to advise you 24 hours a day:
Poison Information Centre
Emergency Hotline: +43 1 406 43 43
Overview of international recall portals
Recall and information pages from other countries:
European Union:
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Denmark
- Germany
- Finland
- France
- Greece
- Ireland
- Italy
- Croatia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Sweden
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Czech Republic
- Cyprus
Outside the European Union:
FAQ for Businesses
Your first point of contact should always be the food safety authority responsible for your area. You can find this authority at your local district administrative office (Bezirkshauptmannschaft) or market office. The authority will discuss the necessary measures with you.
Important: AGES is not a food authority. It is therefore not sufficient to inform AGES of a planned recall by email or telephone.
Regional food safety authorities:
Burgenland
Food Safety Authority
Carinthia
Official Food Safety Authority of the Province of Carinthia
Lower Austria
Office of the Lower Austrian Provincial Government, Department of Veterinary Affairs and Food Control
Upper Austria
Office of the Upper Austrian Provincial Government, Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs
Salzburg
Official Food Safety Authority of the State of Salzburg
Styria
Food Safety Authority at the Office of the Styrian Provincial Government
Tyrol
Official Food Inspection Authority of the Province of Tyrol
Vorarlberg
Official Food Inspection Authority of the Province of Vorarlberg
Vienna
Food Inspection and Complaints – Vienna Market Office (MA 59)
AGES uses its product recall service to publicise recalls that have already been issued by companies, in order to reach more consumers.
Important: It is not sufficient to send the recall to AGES by email. We cannot carry out the recall on your behalf. You are welcome to send us the recall that has already been published to presse@ages.at.
Should a company fail to fulfil its obligation to inform the public, AGES will publish a product warning on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection if
- there is a public health risk posed by harmful goods
- there is reasonable suspicion, based on the preliminary final report of a foodborne disease outbreak, that foodstuffs may endanger further people
A public notice should be:
- A public notice regarding the product recall in your shop, displayed directly at the entrance or at the point on the shelf where the product was offered for sale
- A notice on your website (if applicable)
- A publication via a suitable medium (e.g. APA-OTS, ORF Teletext, etc.) A confirmation of receipt of an email does not constitute a publication! Please note that these services are subject to a fee. For assistance with this, please contact your trade association
- For products subject to the Product Safety Act, the European Commission provides an online application that enables companies to fulfil this reporting obligation without having to contact various national authorities. However, the use of this application is not mandatory – an informal notification to produktsicherheit@sozialministerium.at is sufficient, provided that all necessary details regarding the product and measures are included in the notification
A product recall must include the following information:
- Description of the goods: product name, batch number, best-before date
- Business operator: producer, manufacturer, importer or distributor
- Reason for the recall: public danger, health hazard, e.g. due to contamination, small parts, foreign objects
- Warning against consumption of the product: e.g. food should not be consumed
- Action intended by the company: e.g. return of the goods, refund of the purchase price
- Note that the warning does not imply that the hazard was caused by the producer, manufacturer, importer or distributor
Desirable: Where possible, the product recall should include a photograph of the
product in question
Consumer FAQs
AGES provides information on warnings and product recalls relating to foodstuffs and children’s toys (in accordance with the LMSVG – Food Safety and Consumer Protection Act), medicines and medical devices (in accordance with the AMG and MPG – the Medicines Act and the Medical Devices Act), as well as on products subject to the Product Safety Act 2004.
This is a service provided by AGES for the benefit of consumers; it does not claim to be exhaustive. Furthermore, no liability or guarantee can be given regarding the up-to-date nature or availability of content under the links provided.
Information on the safety of medicines and medical devices can be found on the website of the Federal Office for Safety in Healthcare. Information on product safety can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (Product Safety).
Under “Product Recall”, AGES publishes information that a manufacturer or distributor has already made public. Such a publication may include:
- A public notice of the product recall displayed in the sales outlets, directly at the entrance or at the point on the shelf where the product was offered for sale
- Publication on the company’s website
- Publication of a product recall via a suitable medium
The company’s own responsibility is identified in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (“General Food Law”) as a central element in ensuring food safety and is enshrined in the Food Safety and Consumer Protection Act (LMSVG). The immediate implementation of countermeasures, such as market withdrawal and informing consumers, is an essential part of this EU-wide concept. Therefore, as soon as a manufacturer or distributor becomes aware of a product problem, either directly or through others, they must take appropriate measures on their own initiative as part of their own responsibility.
The Product Safety Act 2004, which is enforced by the Ministry of Social Affairs, obliges companies to place only safe products on the market or, where necessary, to take steps to avert danger – for example, by withdrawing a product from the market. Where necessary, the competent authorities may also require companies to take appropriate measures. In extreme cases, a recall from consumers and the destruction of a batch of products may even be ordered.
Measures against dangerous products are shared across the EU via the RAPEX procedure.
On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, AGES provides information in accordance with Section 43 of the LMSVG if
- there is a risk to public health posed by goods that are harmful to health
- there is reasonable suspicion, based on the preliminary final report of a food-borne disease outbreak, that foodstuffs may pose a risk to further people
This information is provided under the umbrella term ‘AGES product warnings’ via newsletters, press releases via APA-OTS, publication on the AGES website and AGES’s social media channels.
The competent authority for food, tableware, cosmetics and toys is the official food inspection authority of the federal states: you can find the food inspection authority at the district offices or municipal authorities (see Contacts). A report will be drawn up there and the product in question will be sent for analysis. Further official samples will also be taken to investigate your complaint further. This procedure will not incur any costs for you.
For observations or accidents involving hazardous consumer products such as
- Clothing & Accessories
- Household & Furniture
- Children’s products
- Leisure & sport
- Tools & craft supplies
You can submit your report informally
- in writing to the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Dept. III/A/3 – Product Safety, Stubenring 1, 1010 Vienna
- or by email to the Product Safety Department at produktsicherheit@sozialministerium.at
. Further information can be found at: https://www.sozialministerium.at/Themen/Konsumentenschutz/Produktsicherheit/Gefaehrliche-Produkte-melden.html
By stating a best-before date, manufacturers guarantee that, if stored correctly, the product will retain its full quality at least until that date. Generally speaking, therefore, exceeding the best-before date does not mean that a food product is no longer fit for consumption.
This means that a food product usually has a longer shelf life than the best-before date indicates. However, it is difficult to predict exactly how much longer; this depends on the product and also on how it has been stored up to that point.
There is a significant difference if the packaging states a so-called use-by date (‘use by’). A use-by date is applied to goods that are highly perishable from a microbial perspective. A product whose use-by date has passed should no longer be considered safe. Under no circumstances should such a product be consumed; it should be disposed of immediately.
The free AGES Product Warning App is currently available for iPhone and Android operating systems. You can find it in your iPhone or Android app store by searching for "AGES Product Warning App". You can find the links to download the app on the Product Warnings & Recalls page.
With the AGES Product Warning App, you receive real-time information about current recalls and warnings via push notifications directly on your smartphone or tablet. Notifications are always sent for all product categories.
Filter function: The filter function is used to search for past notifications. You can filter by warnings or recalls and also select the product category. Your filter selection is not saved when you close the app.
Last updated: 25.06.2026
automatically translated