(FDA: Rockville, MD) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a new way to head off potential cases of foodborne illness—the Reportable Food Registry (RFR). Food industry officials must use this electronic portal to alert the FDA quickly when they find their products might sicken or kill people or animals. The requirement, a result of legislation, took effect with the launch of the portal.

Facilities that manufacture, process, or hold food for consumption in the United States now must tell the FDA within 24 hours if they find a reasonable probability that an article of food will cause severe health problems or death to a person or an animal.

The reporting requirement applies to all foods and animal feed regulated by the FDA, except infant formula and dietary supplements, which are covered by other regulatory requirements.

Some examples of reasons a food may be reportable include bacterial contamination, allergen mislabeling, or elevated levels of certain chemical components.

The opening of the RFR electronic portal reflects a fundamental principle of the president’s Food Safety Working Group that “preventing harm to consumers is our first priority.”

“President Obama has pledged to strengthen food safety,” says commissioner of food and drugs, Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “The opening of the Reportable Food Registry electronic portal represents a significant step toward that pledge.”

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