Four major entities — W.K. Kellogg, Kellanova, the National Restaurant Association, and the International Dairy Foods Association — have joined the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness to bolster food safety across the supply chain. This initiative, driven by Stop Foodborne Illness (STOP), aims to foster collaboration between leading food companies and consumers affected by food safety failures.

“Safety needs to be a central value of our food system,” said Vanessa Coffman, Ph.D., Alliance Program Director. “We know a lot of companies are already doing the right thing. The Alliance is a unique collaborative wher companies are working together to advance their food safety cultures and those in their supply chains through best practice sharing. People continue to become gravely ill from food and we’re trying something new to drive those numbers down.”

Each year, an estimated 48 million Americans — about one in six — suffer from foodborne illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of these, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die. Launched in 2018 with ten companies, the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness now includes more than 20 industry partners, with the recent addition of Kellanova and W.K. Kellogg (formerly Kellogg Company), the National Restaurant Association, and the International Dairy Foods Association.

Current members of the Alliance encompass a wide range of industry leaders, including the American Frozen Food Institute, Cargill, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Conagra Brands, Consumer Brands Association, Costco Wholesale, Empirical Foods, The Hershey Company, JBS, Maple Leaf Foods, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, TreeHouse Foods, Walmart, Wawa and Wegmans.

The Alliance focuses on collaboration between food companies and consumers regarding food safety culture. In its 30th year, STOP continues to support those impacted by food safety failures, striving to prevent illness and death from foodborne pathogens by advocating for survivors, enhancing public understanding, and promoting policies and practices that improve prevention.

“The Alliance continues to grow its outreach and resources, drawing on industry thought leaders and our consumer advocates’ powerful, life-altering stories,” Coffman added. “One example of this collaboration is our award-winning innovative online food safety culture toolkit for small- and medium-sized companies. So far, over 600 companies across 81 countries have accessed this free resource.”

STOP and the Alliance actively engage with farmers, food companies, regulators, academia, consumers, and food associations to push food safety culture measures beyond the minimum standards and regulations. This proactive approach aims to create a safer food system and reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses.

For more information about STOP and its programs, visit www.stopfoodborneillness.org.