Each year, about one in six Americans gets sick from food poisoning. Although most will recover without any lasting problems, some types of food poisoning can lead to kidney failure, chronic arthritis, brain and nerve damage, and even death.
When you prepare food at home, be sure to follow 4 basic steps to help prevent food poisoning: clean, separate, cook, and chill.
If you’d like to receive emails about food recalls, sign up for automated alerts.
Learn more about how to keep your food safe at FoodSafety.gov.
Asked by Anonymous
Who can answer my food safety questions?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline (1.888.674.6854) can answer questions about meat, poultry, and egg products; and FoodSafety.gov can provide information about other types of foods.
You can now find the latest recalls and food safety information for your state through Twitter. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently created state-specific Twitter feeds that will announce food safety alerts and recalls by state.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) launched the program to make it even easier for you to find your state-specific recalls. You can find food recalls for products such as meat and eggs and learn how to protect food supplies during severe weather events in your area.
Each state has its own handle on Twitter, and can be found using the state’s abbreviation, underscore, followed by “FSISalert.” For example, Alaska’s Twitter handle is AK_FSISAlert.
Twitter feeds for all U.S. states and territories officially launched the first week of March. Learn more about the USDA’s new safety alerts.
From the Food and Drug Administration:
The J.M. Smucker Company today announced a limited voluntary recall on two specific Best-If-Used-By dates of 16 oz. Smucker’s® Natural Peanut Butter Chunky because it may be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
The affected product, which is packaged in 16 oz. jars, is as follows:
- UPC: 5150001701 (located on the side of the jar’s label below the bar code)
- Production Codes: 1307004 and 1308004
- Best-If-Used-By dates: August 3, 2012 and August 4, 2012
- Chunky product only (not creamy)
- Impacted product would have been purchased between November 8 - 17, 2011
No other products of The J.M. Smucker Company are affected by this recall.
No illnesses related to this issue have been reported and the product is being recalled out of an abundance of caution for consumer safety.
Consumers who have purchased Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter Chunky with the above Production Code and Best-If-Used-By dates are urged to discard the product immediately and call the company at 1-888-550-9555 for a replacement coupon.
Learn more about this recall from the Food and Drug Administration.
The summer months are fraught with risk for power outages, with air conditioning gorging on electricity and hurricanes brewing in the Atlantic. So how do you keep it from spoiling when the power dies, know what foods you can safely eat, and which you must throw out?
Hard cheeses, such as Cheddar and Swiss, can be eaten well after the refrigerator loses its cold; but low-fat and shredded cheeses, as well as eggs, meat, poultry and fish, should be thrown out if the interior rises above 40°F for more than two hours.
To get ready for when the power goes out, stock up on some non-perishables that can be eaten straight from the can or box, and print out this detailed reference of which refrigerated foods are safe.
