FDA Announces its Fifth Annual Reportable Food Registry

 Posted on June 10, 2016 in Food Poisoning

Every year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) releases its Reportable Food Registry. This is an electronic registry that lists all reportable foods that were submitted to the FDA during the five-year reporting period. The fifth edition, chronicling all instances of reportable food made between September 2009 and September 2014, came out in May 2016.

A reportable food is a food or food product intended for human or animal consumption that, due to recorded instances of illness, has a reasonable probability of causing those who consume it to suffer from food poisoning. When a food item is determined to be reportable, it must be reported to the FDA within 24 hours. This helps the FDA track potential food poisoning outbreaks and work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow and contain them. If you find yourself suffering from food poisoning symptoms, seek medical attention to confirm whether your symptoms are due to harmful bacteria and if so, which kind. Then, consider working with a food poisoning attorney to seek compensation for your damages.

Details of the Fifth Annual Reportable Food Registry

The FDA's fifth edition of its Reportable Food Registry contained 909 entries. Nearly half of these were for undeclared allergens, rather than for harmful bacteria found in food products. However, a significant number of the entries in the report were linked to the Listeria outbreak associated with Watowan stone fruits in 2014.

201 of the reports contained in the portal were primary reports. 464 of these reports came from food suppliers, and 244 were amendments to reports made earlier. This final portion of the reports were made largely to clarify information submitted to the FDA and to provide further information about specific instances of food poisoning. It is through linked reports like these that the FDA can track outbreaks and take the necessary steps to prevent further damages and issue recalls for products that could be contaminated. This is why it is important that you seek medical attention and report any instance of food poisoning you encounter. By making your food poisoning report, you are potentially preventing hundreds or even thousands of other Americans from becoming ill by consuming the product that made you ill.

Work with a Libertyville Food Poisoning Attorney

Keeping yourself educated about food poisoning dangers and how you can report them to the correct authorities is an effective way. You can still become ill even if you take all the necessary precautions. If you or your child become ill after consuming a contaminated food product, consider seeking monetary compensation for your damages through a personal injury claim. Contact our team of experienced food poisoning attorneys at Newland & Newland, LLP today to learn more during your free legal consultation in our Chicago office. We are located in Suite 1700 on North Clark street.

(photo courtesy of Jon Cutrer)