The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has released data on consumer complaints for the federal fiscal year 2024, revealing that the agency received 1,443 complaints about USDA-regulated foods.
The USDA has authority over meat, poultry, certain egg products and catfish.
The complaints are handled by the Office of Public Health Science Applied Epidemiology Staff (AES). Consumers file complaints directly online or by phone at 888-674-6854. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also receives complaints for USDA-regulated products from the Food and Drug Administration and state public health and agriculture departments.
Generally, the most common types of complaint reported to FSIS involve foreign objects, suspected foodborne illness, quality issues such as products that look, smell, or taste different from what the consumer expects, and concerns of mislabeled products.
For fiscal year 2024, the FSIS received 1,443 complaints, but 73 of them did not involve USDA-inspected products, so they were forwarded to other entities. About 80 per cent of the complaints were reported via the online reporting form. About 7.5 complaints were made via phone.
Fiscal year 2024 saw 1,443 complaints filed, up from 1,215 the previous year. Since fiscal year 2013, the year with the most complaints was fiscal year 2019, with 1,693 complaints.
Foreign objects in products were the most common complaints, with 41.5 per cent, or 569, of all complaints falling into this category. Twenty-six per cent of complaints — 356 complaints — were related to foodborne illnesses.
Chicken was responsible for the most complaints, coming in at 460 complaints, or 33.6 per cent. Beef was next with 369 complaints, followed by pork with 258.
Two consumer complaints contributed to a recall because of bones in a product.
Consumer complaint investigations led to: 65 voluntary actions taken by businesses, including retraining staff; four administrative/enforcement actions taken by FSIS at identified establishments; and 4 product control actions, including recalls or detaining product in commerce.
Investigations into two separate complaints led to a recall of ready-to-eat kielbasa products contaminated with pieces of bone. Additionally, investigations into two complaints alleging product was illegally imported into the United States resulted in the product being detained and destroyed.
Consumer complaints also led to product control actions, such as producers taking voluntary actions, such as reassessing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plans, retraining employees, and implementing new equipment.
Author: Coral Beach
Source: Food Safety News
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