Four measures are introduced to evaluate the likelihood of meat and poultry recalls and how firms and FSIS manage such events. These measures include the proportion of product retrieved (recovery rate), time to complete a case, the ratio of recovery rate and completion, and the hazard rate. This research aims to advance our knowledge and understanding of food safety programs by presenting statistical indicators which benchmark the food system. The results from OLS, Negative Binomial, and Cox regression models suggest that limited conclusions can be reached in terms of overall performance and factors that explain the timeliness of recalls. Evidence suggests that smaller plants perform as well as large plants in their recall actions. Also, when the firm discovers the problem recalls are more timely and therefore more effective.