inspections and compliance, news and events, and multimedia and educational materials. Though the latter three sections are likely to be viewed for research purposes (or severe boredom at the office), the guides on how to keep food safe and what to do in cases of potential food poisoning are both informative and practical.The "Keep food safe" section provides information on the all-important question, "Do you think that's still good?" Here readers can find up to date information on food recalls and alerts, basic food preparation and cooking guides, and food safety charts. It also provides information for specific groups of people, including pregnant women and those with chronic diseases, food safety in an emergency, and food safety tips by events and seasons (as in "Do you think that fruitcake is still good?").
Interestingly, the site does not advise people to seek medical attention in case of illness or food poisoning until after it provides information on how to report a problem. A piece of advice: if sick with a potential foodborne illness, seek medical attention before contacting the government.
Thanks to a handy foodsafety.gov widget, you can also turn your own website into a food safety mecca. Just download the widget full of food safety alerts and tips.
Foodsafety.gov is a comprehensive, informative food safety website. However, as with many government informational websites, there comes a point when one wonders if the government has lost all confidence in people's ability to use common sense. Case in point: for "Clean Hands Week," the website is featuring a segment on "how to wash your hands right." Also, an FDA link from foodsafety.gov advises "Never taste food to determine its safety!"... unless, of course, one wants to test the validity of the theory of natural selection.
