Tell the FDA: A new food recall alert system could save lives

Foodborne illness is a serious threat to our health. Nearly one in six Americans are sickened by contaminated food or beverages each and every year — and 3,000 are killed.

A huge part of the problem is that, even when food recalls are announced due to dangerous pathogens or other threats, consumers often don’t find out about them in a timely fashion. Discovery of contaminated food doesn’t help shoppers or consumers if we have no easy way to learn our food might be dangerous.

Information about food recalls should be easily and quickly available. Regulators should work with grocers and restaurants on ways to notify as many customers as possible, and develop an app and email notification system people could use to be notified about specific categories of recalls and alerts, such as for bacteria or certain undeclared allergens.

We need a fully modernized food recall alert system. I strongly urge you to develop a new system for food recall alerts.