How to Report Food Poisoning

Who to report to

Reports of food poisoning can go to multiple agencies depending on the food involved. For most packaged foods, report to the FDA through their MedWatch or Safety Reporting Portal. For meat, poultry, or egg products, report to USDA FSIS. For restaurant-related illness, report to your local city or county health department. For suspected outbreaks affecting multiple people, contact the CDC through your state health department.

What information to include

Effective food poisoning reports include: the food you ate, where you bought or ate it, the date and time consumed, your symptoms and when they started, whether others who ate the same food got sick, any leftover product you still have (keep it — health officials may want to test it), and photos of the packaging and any remaining food.

What happens after you report

Local health departments investigate restaurant complaints, often conducting surprise inspections if multiple reports come in. The FDA investigates reports involving packaged foods and may issue a recall if contamination is confirmed. Reporting a single case may not trigger an investigation, but it adds to a pattern that health officials track — and that pattern may eventually trigger action.

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