FDA Launches Easy-to-Use Recall Search Site

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Apr 7th 2011 @ 2:00PM

We've all been there: You hear a snippet about a recall on television or the radio, but don't catch the batch number or where the product was sold. Now you're left wondering, are those turkey meatballs in your freezer deadly?

Thanks to the Food Safety Modernization Act, you now have a helpful new tool to find out. As mandated by the updated law in January, the Food and Drug Administration has cleaned up its recall directory site, making search for recalled foods a little easier on the consumer.

Launched on Monday, the new site clearly displays every product recalled since 2009. Items are listed in a chart by date, brand name and product name. The chart also includes photos, the reason for the recall, if the recall is still in effect and a link to the original FDA press release.

The site includes all FDA-regulated products under recall, including drugs, veterinary products, medical devices -- and a few million eggs.

The old site was a jumbled mess of text, but the FDA consulted several consumer and food industry groups before the redesign, including Chicago-based Safe Tables Our Priority, reports the Los Angeles Times. President Nancy Donley tells the Times, "The information is now in one place. It's a lot easier to navigate and consumers get a more complete picture."

In a statement, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Mike Taylor states the importance of such a site. "[Recalls] mandatory or otherwise, are serious and we must do everything possible to make it easier for people to know about these recalls so they can take all appropriate steps to protect themselves and their families."

Now you can simply call up any product in the site's search engine and get the full details on any related recalled item. You can even sign up for recall alerts to go directly to your inbox.

Filed Under: Food News
Tags: FDA recall, food recalls, recall website