Four Companies Join Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness

CHICAGO — A multi-industry initiative to improve food safety culture across the supply chain, the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness, a program of Stop Foodborne Illness (STOP), brings together leading food companies and consumers impacted by food safety failures to effect positive change.

Launched in 2018 with 10 companies, the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness now boasts over 20 industry partners, including new members Kellanova and W.K. Kellogg (formerly Kellogg Company), the National Restaurant Association and International Dairy Foods Association.

Current Alliance members include 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.

"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 where 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."

Today, an estimated 48 million (one in six) Americans experience a foodborne illness annually. Of these, 128,000 people are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year.

The Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness focuses on collaboration between food companies and consumers regarding food safety culture and supports those impacted by food safety failures. In its 30th year, STOP strives to prevent illness and death from foodborne pathogens by supporting and representing survivors of foodborne illness, advancing public understanding of it and supporting public policies and industry practices that strengthen prevention.

"The Alliance continues to grow its outreach and resources, drawing on industry thought leaders and our consumer advocates' powerful, life-altering stories. 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," said Coffman.

STOP and the Alliance continue engaging with farmers, food companies, regulators, academia, consumers and food associations to enhance food safety culture measures beyond minimum standards and regulations.

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