Food recalls

This image is from a terrific website on child nutrition programs.

Living in the US it's hard not to be aware of the whole Hallmark foods fiasco, where abuse was filmed and made public. It is also becoming more difficult to close your eyes and awareness to the reality: this was very likely only the tip of a giant iceberg, merely the most visible element of a serious problem here and elsewhere.
For example, here's a PDF document put out by the California Department of Public Health: Products made with Hallmark/Westland Recalled Beef.

Just how big a problem is this? What is a 'regular' person to do? There's some great information out there right now that can help you make better choices.

One of these is the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website, FDA Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts. In their own words, the site "includes the most significant product actions of the last 60 days, based on the extent of distribution and the degree of health risk." Here, you'll find how to report problems, the 'straight scoop' on media reporting, and the site provides links to older, archived information. Another link on this page leads to FDA Patient Safety News, where you can search the site for reliable and current information.

A 'gateway' site to federal food safety sites, the News & Food Safety Alerts page contains links to health warnings, regulatory compliance information, and more - including some interesting pages designed specifically for kids.

Finding reliable information on food safety and nutrition is not so difficult when you have access to sites like FirstGov for Consumers - check this out for lots of very accessible links.