Whystle Launches Personalized Product Recall App to Keep Parents Informed and Families Protected

ARLINGTON, Va., March 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year, dangerous products are responsible for 60K+ infant and toddler emergency room visits, 100K+ hospitalizations for food-borne illnesses, and 200K+ injuries by toys. News of many of these dangerous products never reaches consumers, so a former Department of Justice prosecutor and mother of four launched Whystle, an app that lets you know what's dangerous and what's safe.

"We think someone is going to let us know that a product is dangerous, but that's not the case," says Lauren Bell, CEO of Whystle. "While working at the Department of Justice, I saw firsthand the tragedies that happen when people aren't informed about dangerous products. Whystle provides users with peace of mind and gives them one less thing to worry about in their busy lives."

Whystle analyzes information from across a wide range of sources, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to provide users with personalized breaking product safety alerts and news.

"Sometimes, companies issue sneaky press releases, trying to satisfy their disclosure obligations without anybody noticing ? Whystle finds those, too," says Bell.

Whystle Protects Families Against Dangerous Products

Here's how Whystle works:

Users download the Whystle app, available in the App Store ($2.00 a month for an annual plan or $3.99 for a monthly plan), and create a profile. Once the profile is complete, parents, expecting parents, pet owners, and those with allergies receive alerts customized to their particular needs.

Whystle sources the alerts and provides a user-friendly summary. The personalized alerts are automatically displayed in a user's feed and through push notifications. Users can also share safety alerts with friends and family with just one click.

Every Whystle Alert Ends with a 'What to Do'

Every alert in Whystle ends with a 'What to Do' section so users can quickly understand how the information impacts them and what they need to do.

The information includes instructions on how to respond to the danger and valuable tips on how to obtain replacements or refunds.

"Sites providing recall information often aren't consumer-friendly or timely," says Bell. "They don't give consumers the information they need to know in an easy to understand way. Whystle acts like an e-mail inbox, making it easy to scroll through and see what matters to you and your family in one place."

Bell says her father ran a television station when she was growing up, and back then, families watched the nightly news to hear about recalls or product safety information.

"The way we receive information is changing every day, so we need new ways of reaching people with personalized information to ensure their safety. With Whystle as their eyes and ears, people can rest easy, and share awareness with their friends and family," adds Bell. "As a mother of four, I know Whystle is a valuable tool for busy parents to keep their family safe." 

About whystle.org
Lauren Bell, a Harvard Law School-educated former federal prosecutor and mother of four, founded Whystle so that she could use her expertise to help others keep their loved ones safe. Bell worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she prosecuted companies for unsafe products and saw firsthand the importance of staying up-to-date on product safety information.

SOURCE Whystle