The Obama administration on Sept. 9 announced the creation of a new centralized website for consumers to learn about food safety and food recalls -- www.foodsafety.gov.
In addition to food recall information, the new site includes preventive tips for consumers about how to safely store, handle and prepare food at home, including information on meat, poultry and fish; eggs and dairy products; and fruits and vegetables. The website also includes information on the sources, characteristics, incubation periods and symptoms of different food-borne illnesses, such as salmonella, E.Coli, listeria, botulism, campylobacter, hepatitis A, norovirus (Norwalk Virus) and other parasites. Consumers can use the site to sign up to receive email alerts on recalled "or potentially unsafe food," according to the administration, and future enhancements will allow consumers to receive such information on mobile phones. The administration also is urging the public and media to promote the new website by posting its widget on the home pages of media and social networking sites.
The website is a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration's parent agency. "Protecting the health and well-being of the American people is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government," said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in announcing the new website. "Our new and innovative approach to connecting consumers to food safety information in an easy and timely manner is a critical improvement in this effort." Added Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius: "Consumers no longer will have to search around in different places trying to figure out which agency manages which food product. All of the information that they need will be in one easy place…."