Congress will take up a bill to expand food recalls to more actively target consumers with the information. The bill, introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, earlier this week would expand the information passed to consumers after a recall is issued. The bill would require notices posted on shelves at food retailers where recalled foods are sold; require that recall notices are sent directly to grocery stores and store loyalty card users. Stores and restaurants would be required to receive notification of Class I recalls within 24 hours of the recall. The stores that received products must then post a notice on the shelf unit or freezer case where the contaminated product was sold so that consumers are aware that they might have previously purchased a recalled product. It would also require the distribution of Class I recall notices to hospitals and doctors to ensure that potential cases of food-borne illness are more promptly treated and reported.
"In America, in 2010, it is unconscionable that we don’t have an effective way to communicate foodborne illness outbreaks to consumers and health departments," said Gillibrand in a statement. "It’s spreading too many diseases and costing too many lives."
The bill would require grocers to track purchases of products through the use of consumer loyalty programs. Grocers would be required to notify consumers within 24 hours of receiving a recall notice that they had purchased a product which had been the subject of a recall. Failure to notify consumers would subject the retailer to a penatly of $100 per customer.
