New app provides information about food recalls
An app presented by the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) informs consumers about food recalls easily and quickly, the BVL announced. Consumers can now "be notified automatically and at any time via push function about new public announcements," BVL President Friedel Cramer explained. The Consumer Central Federation of Germany (vzbv) welcomed the new functions.
Since 2011, the Bundesländer and BVL have been publishing product recalls from companies on their portal. New search and filter functions have now been introduced, allowing users to find announcements more quickly and filter them by announcement reason, federal state, time period, or product type. In addition to the existing categories of food, household items, cosmetics, and tattoo products, the category of baby and children's products has been added, according to the BVL.
Sabrina Göddertz from the vzbv criticized that many consumers are not aware of the portal. The BVL must "make it much more well-known" so that the warnings reach them, she stated. The vzbv has also been criticizing for a long time that warnings "occur too late and sporadically" through the portal.
The federal states must set warnings "immediately," Göddertz demanded. Consumers need to know what to do if they have purchased or already consumed the affected product - "whether they should consult a doctor's office after consuming the food and how they can get their money back," she explained. These are important pieces of information. "Only then does the warning portal have a real added value."
The consumer protection organization Foodwatch goes even further: The app is indeed a "valuable and necessary step for health and consumer protection," but for food warnings to reach as many people as possible, they must be warned where they buy food: in the supermarket, explained managing director Chris Methmann.
"Rewe, Lidl & Co. must hang current product recalls clearly and prominently at the shelves, near the checkouts, and on the blackboard - and not only when their own brands are affected."
- The new app from the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) not only sends push messages about new food recalls but also includes the option for users to receive warning messages, making it easier for consumers to stay informed.
- To enhance the effectiveness of the app, Foodwatch suggests that supermarkets like Rewe, Lidl, and others should display current food recalls prominently in their stores, ensuring that warning messages reach consumers where they shop.
