Federal Food Safety Consumer Web Site Unveiled

Washington D.C.—A new Web site designed to help consumers get the latest information on food safety and recalls, was unveiled this week by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, co-chairs of the Obama Administration’s Food Safety Working Group.

The new site, www.foodsafety.gov, features information from all the agencies across the federal government that deal with critical food and food safety information, including preventive tips, recall alerts, and the latest news.

Consumers can subscribe for emails and RSS alerts on recalled or potentially unsafe food and hear from scientific experts on food safety. Later phases of the site will include recall feeds for texting and mobile phones and a foodsafety.gov widget, which will instantly update viewers with the food safety recalls.

“This site focuses on prevention by highlighting the steps both businesses and consumers can take to avoid illness,” said Food and Drug (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. “It also will be a clearinghouse for information on the latest FDA rules and guidance.”

In addition, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said the site would enable consumers to quickly know who to contact if they believe they contracted a foodborne illness. “Those reports of illness can help us identify potential outbreaks sooner and strengthen our efforts to protect Americans from unsafe food and food-borne illness.”