OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has just introduced a new tool that will make it easier to file food safety complaints, as well as report food poisoning.
DOH encourages everyone to use their new online system, the Foodborne Illness Notification System (FINS), to share food safety concerns within Washington.
Foodborne illness, which is also known as food poisoning, is caused by eating or drinking foods or beverages that are contaminated. Foodborne illnesses are preventable, but according to DOH, one in six Americans contract food poisoning every year. People over the age of 65, children under the age of 5, and people who are pregnant or immunocompromised have an increased chance of contracting a foodborne illness.
FINS is a platform in which you can help local health jurisdictions pinpoint sources of food-related illnesses, and help the community respond faster to outbreaks.
If you have a food safety concern, you can submit it through the FINS website.
Here is how you can file a report using FINS:
- 1. Submit your food safety concern through the FINS website if you experience any of the following:
- Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or fever.
- Any food-related concerns at various establishments such as a restaurant, grocery store, food truck, food delivery service, or group event. You can anonymously report any instances of bad food handling, pests or rodents, a sick food worker, intentional contamination, and a facility sewage issue.
- 2. FINS will send your concerns to local authorities.
- Once you submit a report through the website, an email notification will be sent to the local health jurisdiction.
- 3. Local health jurisdiction will review your FINS report.
- All concerns that are submitted will be reviewed. Local health jurisdictions have different methods used to analyze reports to determine if further action is needed.
*FINS is not a replacement for medical care. If you are experiencing vomiting or diarrhea, be sure to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Seek medical care if you see blood in your stool, or have diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days. Seek medical care immediately if you have a high fever (over 102°F), vomiting so often you can't keep liquids down, showing signs of dehydration, which include not urinating often, a dry mouth or throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up.*
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