Yuka, a mobile app that provides users with information about product labels, now alerts users of active product recalls issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) recently launched the agency’s first application programming interface (API) on its website, giving software developers access to data on recalls and food safety alerts, and allowing them to integrate that information into apps and other digital services.

Food companies are struggling with recall execution and communication, stemming from a patchwork of regulations. Three key issues confront industry due to this fragmentation of the recall system. The path to more effective recalls, in simple terms, is to standardize and streamline the existing system and utilize modern technology to circulate pertinent information.

With nearly 500 food safety recalls occurring per year, it is difficult for consumers to keep up. Prevention of foodborne illness—the main goal of the nonprofit organization Stop Foodborne Illness—can be aided by the establishment of a faster, more efficient, and modernized recall system.