Consumer Alert was a national non-profit organization. When it began in 1977, Consumer Alert's main goals were education and research, as put forth by founders Barbara A. Keating. Spurred on by the observation that Americans were becoming more and more interested in the environmental and health impacts of business and technological development, Consumer Alert sought to educate consumers and hold legislators responsible for the policies that were being made especially concerning chemical use in food production and inflation. Another issue that Consumer Alert dealt with was the increasing amount of government regulation, both at the state and national level.

Consumer Alert ceased to exist around 2006.

This collection (1978-1999, undated) contains general correspondence, news releases, statements, hearing testimony, and articles from and about Consumer Alert as well as several in-house publications and newsletters. Consumer Alert's publications in this collection include brochures, annual reports, A Statement of Our Purpose - Consumer Alert, and Five-Year History. Their newsletter, Consumer Comments, covers the years 1987-1999. Most of the organization's news releases and reports deal with research on the chemical processes included in food production and the negative effect on the consumer. For example, included are several reports on food irradiation and additives, beef and dairy pricing, and regulations on chemical processes used in food preservation.