Consumers’ Resources


Did you know? Your kitchen could be a source of illness!
Picture novella from Cornell, in English, about how you can protect your food from pathogens while you shop, cook and store foods.

Wash Your Hands Properly
Colorful poster with handwashing instructions.

Food Safety Thermometer
Poster to post in your kitchen shows cooking and canning temperatures that kill bacteria.

Safe Handling Produce
Twelve-page booklet of information for consumers about how to handle and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables (and fresh-squeezed juices) in the kitchen.

FightBAC!
Consumer education to prevent bacterial contamination.

KeepFoodSafe
Activist Web site with information on legislation and things consumers can do to protect food supply.

Food & Nutrition
Programs for wellness, eating smart and other healthy alternatives from the NC State University Family and Consumer Science Department.

Food Safety Info for Consumers
Information on protecting freshness of specific foods, national recalls and food purchasing tips.

Food Processors’ Information on Food Safety
Food testing, nutritional labeling, FAQs, publications, and a decision tree for getting started in a food business.

National Food Safety and Quality
One-stop shopping for food safety information.

E. coli Timeline
One page that shows everything that’s happened with E. coli in the past 15 years.

E. coli FAQs
Info from the CDC on E. coli.

Genetically Modified Foods
Explanation of genetically modified food crops, with an emphasis on implications for food safety.

Reporting a Foodborne Illness/Complaint About fresh produce

We can play an important public health role by reporting to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) any problems with food products. FDA is responsible for ensuring that foods are safe, wholesome and correctly labeled. When problems with FDA-regulated products occur, the agency wants to know about them and has several ways for the public to make reports. Timely reporting allows the agency to take prompt action. The agency evaluates each report to determine how serious the problem is and, if necessary, may request additional information from the person who filed the report before taking action.

Report foodborne illness emergencies to FDA’s main emergency number, staffed 24 hours a day, (301) 443-1240. You also can report emergencies, as well as non-emergencies, to the FDA complaint district coordinator for North Carolina, (404) 253-1169. In non-emergencies, you can report problems related to any food (except meat and poultry) by contacting the FDA complaint district coordinator for North Carolina, (404) 253-1169.

If the problem involves meat or poultry, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, call the USDA hotline at 1-800-535-4555.