Last May, shipments of Florida grape tomatoes carrying
Salmonella were sent to retailers and processors in 10 states
and Canada before the distributor finally learned its product
was contaminated. If it didn’t act fast enough, the distributor,
Six L’s Packing Co., could have a potentially serious outbreak
on its hands. Didn’t hear about that one? That’s probably
because Six L’s was able to recall all of its shipments before
any consumers got sick, thanks largely to the rapid recall
fostered by a relatively young program within the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration known as the Reportable Food Registry.
Enacted by Congress in 2007 and launched by the FDA in 2009, the
Reportable Food Registry (RFR) is an online portal for food
industry officials and government regulators to report foods in
commerce that could cause probable harm to consumers. Whether
foods contain an unlabeled allergen or test positive for a
pathogen, the registry has established an infrastructure in
which harmful products are removed from the