USDA Alert System Keeps You Up to Date on Food Recalls

In 2016 alone, the U.S. and Canada were victim to 764 food recalls. This year appears to be following suit, with recalls on yellowfin tuna over hepatitis A fears, edamame, and even a

salad mix with a decomposing rat

But things don’t have to be that way: There’s a government alert system in place that can help you stay up to date.

CNET reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recall page provides a summary of active recalls and lets people sign up for email notification. By providing your email address, you can get an alert directly to your inbox so you can eat your food without worrying too much about shards of plastic or contamination.

Get the recall alerts: Current Recalls and Alerts

“FSIS’ email subscription service is an easy way to keep up with food safety news. When you subscribe, you will get an email update when changes have been made to your selected topics,” reads the website. “You can add or delete subscription items at any time.”

After giving your email address, you can customize the frequency of emails — ASAP, daily, or weekly. Although they also warn that “high-priority updates may be sent regardless of your delivery preferences.”

Then, go through the subscription topics to the “FSIS Recalls” section and select one or all three options: Open FSIS Recall Cases, Open FSIS Recall Cases Retail List, and Recall Case Archive.

Most recalls due to contamination are especially threatening to children, the elderly, and those without strong immune systems, so this feature is especially helpful for any household with any of these demographics.