A new report says grocery stores need to do better on food recalls.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group published its "Food recall failure" report today.
It says stores need to better tell customers when a food they sell is recalled.
The group asked almost 30 of the biggest grocery chains in the country about how they notify customers about recalls. Several of them operate in West Michigan.
Most didn't respond or failed to adequately inform the public, according to the report.
A few chains received passing grades.
The organization says stores can post signs in stores and online, as well as send customers notifications using information collected for loyalty programs.
"Food recall failure" grades for grocers in West Michigan
Aldi: F
Meijer: F
Target: C
Trader Joe's: F
Walmart: F
Christina Fecher, a spokesperson for Walker-based Meijer, told FOX 17 the retailer was "not even aware of this particular survey and therefore, didn’t participate in it."
"Based on the scores, it looks like a lot of retailers didn’t either," Fecher said.
"However, in the event of a recall, we work very hard to inform our customers by posting health and safety recalls on our Meijer.com recall site and work with specific agencies like the FDA and USDA to issue news releases.
"Additionally, we follow a specific process for communicating recalls to our stores so that our store leadership can answer customer questions accurately."
Aldi and Trader Joe's didn't immediately respond to an inquiry from FOX 17.
The "Food recall failure" report is available online.
