This month, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced the launch of a new website wher Kentuckians can easily report foodborne issues.

Before the website, foodborne illness was reported to the district or local health departments by phone. The new website allows for quick and easy reporting by consumers. It also allows state public health officials to get the necessary information more efficiently, enabling quicker action to prevent others from becoming sick.

“Protecting the health and safety of our Kentucky families is my top priority,” Gov. Beshear said. “With this new service, we will improve our ability to quickly help Kentuckians receive, analyze and respond to foodborne illness reports and identify foodborne outbreaks and prevent others from getting sick.”

The new food safety reporting website provides the state’s first-ever centralized system for foodborne illness data collection. Local health departments base the need for an investigation on how many people are sick, what their symptoms include, when the illnesses began and how long they lasted, whether people are still becoming sick, what people ate, and how many people were exposed.

 If necessary, the pathogen that caused people to become sick is identified through laboratory testing at the health department or clinical provider’s office. The health department will visit a food establishment or store suspected to be tied to the food that caused the illness if needed.

“The goal with this new food safety reporting site is to quickly get information from consumers, which will help to prevent others from becoming sick,” said Eric Friedlander, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.