FoodSafety.gov: Food Safety Information for Consumers & Businesses
An interagency effort between the White House, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FoodSafety.gov website premiered in 2010. This website, which is run by the Department of Health and Human Services, provides a centralized location where consumers and food industry members can access food safety information that was previously scattered between federal and state regulation agency websites.
What Food Safety Information Can I Find?
The FoodSafety.gov website offers information and tools to help keep food and consumers safe concerning five main topics: recalls and outbreaks, food safety charts, food safety tips, food poisoning, and people at risk.
Recalls & Outbreaks
The recalls and outbreaks page shows an up-to-date log of food recalls, information about recent outbreaks, and additional resources for food supply safety, including USDA recalls and alerts. Consumers can educate themselves on what to do with recalled food, from returning the product to sanitizing the kitchen.
Food Safety Charts & Tips
This section helps encourage safe cooking practices with data-based references and learning tools for cold food storage, meat recommendations, safe minimum cooking temperatures for common ingredients, and guidelines for handling food after a power outage. These can be downloaded as a PDF and printed off to be kept in the kitchen as a quick reference for chefs.
Want more tips for keeping food safe? FoodSafety.gov organizes food safety tips by type of food, specific events or seasons, and emergency situations. The "4 Simple Steps to Food Safety" cover critical control points in the food prep process, highlighting the importance of cleaning, separating, cooking, and chilling food. Finally, the FoodKeeper app, which is available for most mobile devices as well as on the site, helps you determine how to store your food and how long it's safe to eat depending on how it's stored.
Food Poisoning
Whether you simply want to be more informed about common bacteria and viruses or need to report a potential issue with the food supply, the food poisoning section has you covered. It has information on everything from E. coli to salmonella and compiles options for reporting problems with meat, poultry, eggs, and other ingredients, as well as pet food and restaurant food.
People at Risk
Some people may be at a higher risk of food poisoning and therefore have different food safety requirements than the general population, including young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people dealing with illnesses or medical treatments. The site details what risks each of these people may face, which foods to avoid, and how to lessen the chance of foodborne illness, with illustrated charts for reference.
Visit the FoodSafety.gov Blog
Want more information? The food safety website also maintains a blog where consumers can find additional guidance for avoiding foodborne illnesses while canning, cooking, dining out, and more.