After delays of more than a year, the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Reportable Food Registry went into effect on September 8, 2009.

The Registry requires that all registered facilities of food for human or animal consumption must now report to the FDA with 24 hours of becoming aware there is a reasonable probability that a food item may cause serious adverse health effects or death to humans or animals. In addition to requiring responsible parties to provide reports to the FDA, federal, state and local government may use the Registry to voluntarily provide information regarding reportable food items.

The intended purpose of the Registry is to assist in tracking patterns of adulterated food. In addition to launching the Registry, the FDA also issued a non-binding Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding the Reportable Food Registry to assist manufacturers in determining if the new rules apply and understanding how to comply with the reporting requirement.