FDA Launches Consumer–Friendly Recall Web Search

FDA Launches Consumer–Friendly Recall Web Search

April 5, 2011

On April 4, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a new consumer-friendly Web search for use during recalls. Consumers will now be able to search for food and other product recalls easier and quicker on the FDA’s website. To provide greater ease of use for consumers, the search results will now provide data from news releases and other recall announcements in the form of a table. That table organizes information from news releases on recalls since 2009 by date, product brand name, product description, reason for the recall and the recalling firm. The table also provides a link to the news release on each recall for more detailed information. The news releases were chosen as the source of information for the table because they provide the most up-to-date and user friendly information about any recall.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law in January by President Obama, called for a more consumer-friendly recall search engine within 90 days after the law went into effect. Per the requirements of the FSMA, for certain recalls the search results will also provide status information on whether the recall is completed or on-going. The status information will be provided for those recalls that FDA either ordered a mandatory recall or provided the opportunity for a voluntary recall under FDA's FSMA authority.

Prior to launching the new Web search, the FDA consulted with stakeholder groups, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumers Union, Food Marketing Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Pew Health Group, and Safe Tables Our Priority to gain their insights on how to most effectively and easily communicate recall information to consumers.

EWG: House budget resolution small but welcome step

WASHINGTON (April 5th, 2011) - In a time of robust farm income and tight budgets, the House Republican budget resolution takes a small but welcome step toward a more equitable and sensible support structure for American farmers.

The GOP proposal, offered by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, would cut direct payments – which are issued to farmers at a set rate regardless of price levels or need -- and the heavily subsidized crop insurance program by $30 billion over the next decade. If the House Agriculture Committee accepts these reforms they would go into effect at the beginning of the next farm bill.

EWG's farm subsidy database shows that 60 percent of American farmers receive no subsidies, while just 10 percent of the largest and wealthiest subsidy recipients have taken home 74 percent of all subsidies paid since 1995.

"The House proposal is encouraging, but much more work needs to be done in the upcoming food and farm bill,” said Craig Cox, Environmental Working Group senior vice-president and director of EWG’s Iowa office.

“We need to create a fiscally responsible safety net that works for all farmers while ensuring that kids have access to healthy food, people hurt hardest by the recession can feed their families and critical protections for our water and soil are in place," said Cox.

The GOP budget proposal puts two major reforms on the table. It would

• Reduce ?xed payments that go to farmers even if commodity prices are soaring;

• Curtail open-ended government support for crop insurance, so that agricultural producers assume responsibility for managing risk as other businesses do.

Direct payments costs taxpayers an average of about $5 billion annually. At the same time, farmers receive billions of dollars from other income support programs. Taxpayers subsidize much of the cost of the crop insurance policies. In 2009, crop insurance premium subsidies amounted to $8 billion. Taxpayers laid out another $9.3 billion spent on direct and counter-cyclical payments (another income support program) that year.

FRESH & EASY RELAUNCHES POPULAR DESIGN-A-BAG CONTEST

FRESH & EASY RELAUNCHES POPULAR DESIGN-A-BAG CONTEST



Grocer also Announces a Reusable Bag Giveaway Through Earth Day



EL SEGUNDO, CA – Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market today relaunched its Design-A-Bag contest, inviting Fresh & Easy customers to design and vote on the grocer’s next reusable bag. Customers can submit their original bag designs at www.freshandeasy.com/designabag through May 15th. Based on feedback Fresh & Easy has expanded the contest this year to anyone 13 years of age or older in Arizona, California and Nevada, so creative students have an opportunity to participate.



Last year’s Design-A-Bag contest generated more than 1,300 design submissions from customers and 24,000 votes by ‘friends of fresh&easy’ – customers who have signed up to receive the latest news about the company along with exclusive offers at www.freshandeasy.com/friends. Last year’s limited-edition winning design was launched in stores earlier this year and was a coveted item for customers.



“Our first Design-A-Bag contest was a huge hit and customers loved the great design that won, so we’re excited to bring back the contest this year,” said Roberto Munoz, Fresh & Easy Director of Neighborhood Affairs. “We believe that offering affordable – and hip – reusable bag options will continue to encourage customers to use them even more.”



Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges who will select up to 10 finalists based on originality and creativity. The winning bag design will be chosen by friends of fresh&easy from June 21st through July 10th. Finalists will each receive a $100 Fresh & Easy gift card and the winning designer will win a year’s worth of free groceries.*



The Design-A-Bag contest is part of a broader effort at Fresh & Easy to encourage the use of reusable bags. Today, the company also launched a reusable bag giveaway in celebration of Earth Day where customers can receive a free canvas bag through April 22nd when they spend $20 or more. The special Earth Day coupon for the free reusable bag can be found on Fresh & Easy’s Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/freshandeasy.**



*A value of $5,000.

**Canvas bag valued at 99-cents.