USDA Unveils Online Food Safety Consumer Complaint Form

WASHINGTONUSDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) unveiled a new online Electronic Consumer Complaint Form that empowers consumers to report problems with meat, poultry and egg products directly to FSIS, enhancing the agencys current surveillance of the food supply and its ability to prevent foodborne illness.

Consumers can use the electronic to report illnesses, allergic reactions, injuries, improper labeling and issues with foreign objects to the Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS).

"Consumers are an important source of the information that FSIS needs to ensure that America's supply of meat, poultry and egg products is safe," Undersecretary for Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen said.

Once an incident is reported to CCMS, the agency can determine what public health implications are associated with the incident, if other people are reporting similar issues, and if FSIS inspectors have identified problems in an establishment that could have caused the issue. On a case-by-case basis, FSIS may conduct additional follow up with complainants, especially if the problem indicates a potentially widespread or severe public health hazard.

CCMS facilitates the detection of public health threats in the nation's food supply and enables FSIS to respond rapidly to mitigate those threats. The system was created in 2001, and cases primarily have been reported to FSIS district offices, through state and local health departments, or through calls to the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline. The new online form makes it possible for consumers to enter complaints after business hours and on weekends, and the predefined fields ensure that each incident report is thorough, accurate and in a format consistent with other entries.