Call, Go Online to Check Product Recall

Over the past few months, there have been widely publicized product recalls for grocery items. Hundreds of consumers have become ill after eating contaminated food – some have even died. Recent recalls of some of my favorite foods included fresh spinach, cantaloupe, grilled chicken and peanut butter.

The media does a good job of publicizing recalled products so that consumers will know what to avoid. When Peter Pan peanut butter was recalled, our newspaper printed the product code on the front page and I was able to identify that I had a jar on my shelf.

I was curious how shoppers could seek out information about current product recalls to make sure we haven’t missed any news releases. I found some wonderful resources that can help us stay informed about product recalls and potential health risks.

Phil Lempert, of www.supermarketguru.com, has a comprehensive section on his Web site with more than 30 links to food safety Web sites. I found the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Web site for its Food Safety and Inspection Service to be very user-friendly.

It lists press releases for product recalls related to meat, poultry and egg products. You can easily find detailed risk assessments, the number of consumers reporting illness related to the contaminated product, and specific product codes to help consumers identify whether their products are at risk. I found current recalls that I hadn’t heard about in the media, so it is worth checking on a regular basis.

You can find the USDA’s Food Safety Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/ Home/index.asp. Look on the right side for a feature called “Ask Karen,” which is an automated question-and-answer service.

I was able to find detailed answers instantaneously by simply typing my question in Karen’s search box.

You can also contact the USDA directly via the USDA Meat and Poultry hot line. The hot line answers consumer food-safety questions and provides support for food-safety educators and communicators. The number is (888) 674-6854.

The site also provides helpful information about food safety and food preparation. I read an article about slow-cooker safety because I like to use my slow cooker. I was surprised to read that it isn’t a good idea to cook whole chickens in the cooker.

The article said, “Cut food into chunks or small pieces to ensure thorough cooking. Do not use the slow cooker for large pieces like a roast or whole chicken because the food will cook so slowly it could remain in the bacterial ‘danger zone,’ between 40 and 140 degrees, too long.”

For product recall information about fruit and vegetable products, visit the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site, www.fda.gov. You can sign up for one of the e-mail newsletters to be alerted when it announces product recalls.

It makes sense for parents of young children who are most susceptible to deadly bacteria to check these resources regularly. If you would rather contact them by telephone, call the FDA toll- free at (888) 723-3366.

Stephanie Nelson shares savings tips as a regular contributor on ABC News’ Good Morning America. You can find more of her savings tips in her book The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom and on her Web site, www.couponmom.com. She can be reached at shoppingmom@unitedmedia.com.

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