Reasons for grocery recalls are varied: From wrong labelling to bacteria, plastic or even pieces of glass in the product, many issues can lead to goods being recalled and pulled from the shelves. But how are these things even discovered and at what point is the decision made to alert the public? That is the job of food safety agencies, called Sécurité Alimentaire in Luxembourg.
Every EU member state has their own food safety agency, all of which are interlinked by a system that makes quick action possible: the Rapid Alert System. In an ideal scenario, the product hasn't even hit the shelves yet when food security agencies find an issue. However, as soon as even one product has been sold, the general public needs to be informed.
As customers usually do not go back and check for recalls at the store, Securité Alimentaire publishes this information on their website and alerts the press. Per year, abut 4000 problems are reported in the EU. The Grand-Duchy counts about 100 alerts per year.
