The words in our alerts, explained

Every word has an anchor: our articles link here instead of explaining everything again. Definitions are deliberately short; the official source is given where one exists. The services named are the French ones.

GTIN

The number printed under a product’s barcode (Global Trade Item Number). In France it usually has 13 digits. It identifies the reference, not the individual item: two identical trays share the same GTIN. RappelConso notices give it for every recalled product; it is the first code to compare.

Batch (lot)

The number identifying a set of products made under the same conditions (same day, same line). On the packaging it sits near the date, often preceded by the letter L. A recall usually targets only certain batches: same GTIN but a different batch, and your product is not affected.

Use-by date (DLC)

Written “à consommer jusqu’au” in France. It applies to perishable foods (meat, fish, ready meals). After this date the product may be unsafe even if it looks fine: do not eat it. Freezing a product before its use-by date does not cancel a recall that concerns it.

Best-before date (DDM)

Written “à consommer de préférence avant”. Past this date the product may lose taste or texture, but it is not unsafe in itself if the packaging is intact. Not to be confused with the use-by date.

Salmonella

A bacterium found in some raw or undercooked foods (poultry, eggs, minced meat). It causes gastroenteritis (diarrhoea, vomiting, fever) between 6 hours and 3 days after the meal. Unpleasant for most adults, it can be serious for young children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people. Thorough cooking kills it, but the instruction of a recall stands: do not eat.

Listeria

A bacterium that survives the cold and grows in some chilled products (cold cuts, raw-milk cheeses, smoked fish). The illness, listeriosis, can appear up to 8 weeks after the meal. It is rare but serious for pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and immunocompromised people: fever and headache after eating a recalled product, see a doctor.

Phishing

A message (email, text, call) that imitates a known organisation (bank, courier, public service, telecom) to make you type your login details, codes or bank details on a fake page. The tell-tale sign: you are pressed to act right now through a link. Guides and reflexes on Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.

Smishing

Phishing by text message (“SMS” + “phishing”): fake parcel fee, fake fine, fake toll sticker, fake message from your bank or from a child who “changed number”. In France, forward the fraudulent text to 33700, then delete it.

Spoofing

Faking a caller number, a text sender name or an email address. The message seems to come from a known contact or from your bank’s real number, so what is displayed proves nothing. When in doubt, hang up and call the official number yourself (back of your card, official website).

SEPA direct debit

A payment you authorised in advance through a mandate (rent, subscription, energy) and that the creditor triggers itself. You can ask your bank to refund an authorised direct debit within 8 weeks of the debit, and dispute a direct debit you never authorised within 13 months. You can also revoke a mandate with your bank. Reference: Service-public.fr, direct debit section.

Chargeback

The procedure by which your bank reverses a disputed card payment (goods never delivered, vanished merchant, unauthorised transaction) and recovers the sum from the merchant’s bank. You request it from your bank, in writing, with evidence; deadlines depend on the card network and are counted in months, not years. For an unauthorised transaction, the refund is a right (see Already a victim?).

Voluntary recall

A recall decided by the manufacturer or retailer itself, without an order from an authority. It is the most common case on RappelConso. “Voluntary” does not mean “optional” for you: the notice’s instructions (do not eat, return, refund) apply just the same.

DGCCRF

France’s consumer protection and fraud control directorate, part of the Ministry of the Economy. It oversees commercial practices and product safety, publishes recalls on RappelConso with the other ministries concerned, and receives your reports on SignalConso. Website: economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf.