A rapid food warning system is required, which will allow national authorities to quickly exchange information on health concerns associated with food and feed.

When a member country of the network discovers a health hazard, it notifies the rest of the system’s network about the product in question and the steps taken to mitigate the risk. Withholding, recalling, confiscating, or rejecting products are examples of measures.

Local governments in impacted areas are responsible for implementing appropriate emergency actions, such as providing direct public information, removing items from the market, and conducting on-the-ground inspections.

If consumer products, food or feed pose risks to human health, prompt action by the authorities is needed. Two rapid alert systems ensure quick transmission of information within the European Union:

• The RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) for food, feed, and food contact materials and
• RAPEX (Rapid Exchange of Information System) for consumer products.

Both systems contribute to ensuring that products that might pose risks to health are not placed on the market or can be removed from the market directly.

Created in 1979, RASFF enables information to be shared efficiently between its members (EU Member State national food safety authorities, Commission, EFSA, ESA, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland)

• The Rapid Alert System has a dedicated public website “The Safety Gate” which provides access to weekly updates of alerts submitted by the national authorities participating in the system. Due to the modernization of the system, specific alerts can be prioritized and processed immediately at arrival, such as alerts on unsafe facemasks in April 2020.

For items imported into Australia, FSANZ is a contact point for the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). FSANZ stands for Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Currently, India does not have its own rapid food alert system but it should be developed as then it would be possible for FSSAI to mitigate serious risks associated with food or feed by coordinated, coherent, and simultaneous measures with the goal of ensuring the maximum level of consumer protection feasible.