This week (July 15th 2024) the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has launched a new tool which helps to simplify reporting about food safety complaints, further protecting people's health.

This Foodborne Illness Notification System (FINS) is already available for use and will enable people to send their complaint directly to the local authority, where the local health jurisdiction will review their report. The local health jurisdiction will then determine whether to act further, e.g. contacting the food establishment, interviewing food workers, conducting an inspection, or contacting the person who reported the concern to gather additional information.

In order to decrease chances of food poisoning, this new system will also provide citizens with the option to anonymously report a food safety concern about a restaurant or establishment which serves food. 

Foodborne Illnesses can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach ache, or fever. Elderly people, children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people have an increased risk of severe illness.

To avoid unreported breakouts, Washington State Department of Health encourages people to use FINS in order to inform about potential food poisoning risks. However, it is not a replacement health service and in cases of severe illness, citizens are still advised to seek medical assistance.