Supermarkets Urged to Contact Shoppers About Recall

Feb. 3, 2009— -- To better protect shoppers from a spreading salmonella outbreak, a consumer advocacy group has today asked grocery stores to use their customer loyalty programs to contact customers who have purchased recalled products.

With the number of recalled products containing peanut butter continuing to climb, Sarah Klein, a food safety lawyer for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said consumers now have to go on a "wild goose chase" through the Food and Drug Administration's Web site to see if a product has been recalled. The Food and Drug Administration's list of recalled products is 120 pages long.

"We think there has to be a better way," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Grocery and pharmacy chains routinely collect data from consumers, including phone numbers and e-mail addresses, and they purchase histories for loyalty or bonus card programs. Some of that data is generally used for marketing research.

"Consumers need more than coupons from costumer loyalty programs," Klein said.

Warehouse retailer Costco recently made more than 1.5 million automated phone calls to consumers who purchased recalled products. Klein said two other chains, Wegmans Food Markets and Price Chopper, have also made efforts to contact consumers.

There are heightened concerns this week about food safety as more details about the peanut recall emerge. A report obtained by The Associated Press revealed Tuesday that a Texas plant also run by the company at the heart of the salmonella outbreak was up and running for years without being licensed or inspected by the FDA. Also this week, a former employee at the Peanut Corp. of America plant linked to the outbreak told CBS News that he saw a rat "dry roasting in the peanuts" and said roaches were a constant problem.

The FDA said for the first time last Friday that some peanut butter on store shelves may not be safe to eat. Health officials repeated assurances that major national brands were considered safe, but said some boutique brands may be suspect.

Hundreds of products have been removed from the supply chain in one of the largest recalls ever, including such products as peanut butter-flavored cookies, candies, cereals, crackers, ice cream and dog biscuits.

Last week, the FDA announced 28 new cases of salmonella-related illness diagnosed since Jan. 19. More than 500 people have become ill, and eight have died in cases believed to be linked to bad peanut butter.