Food Safety

Tips for Safer Seafood
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Generally, seafood is very safe to eat, says Phillip Spiller, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Seafood. 'On a pound-for-pound basis, seafood is as safe as, if not more safe than, other meat sources. But no food is completely safe

Food Hazards
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point is a new safety system that helps manufacturers prevent food hazards. About half the members of a major national food processing organization now use the system. FDA is considering whether to make it mandatory.

Wild Mushroom Safety
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Poisonous mushrooms can cause stomach upset, dizziness, hallucinations, liver and kidney failure, coma - even death. And in North America, they are even harder to distinguish from nontoxic mushrooms than in most other parts of the world.

Mercury In Fish: Cause For Concern?
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Reports of unacceptable levels of methyl mercury in large predatory fish worry some fish lovers. FDA is studying the problem and has recommendations for the general public, as well as special groups such as pregnant women.

From Shampoo to Cereal: Seeing to the Safety of Color Additives
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Though we may hardly notice, they're all around us - in our food, drugs, shampoos, toothpaste, contact lenses, vitamins, and more. And over the years, FDA has refined a process that keeps color additives safe.

Honey Bears, Snowmen and Other Exceptions to Food Label Rules
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Food packages shaped like honey bears, snowmen, and Santa Claus face a special challenge when trying to incorporate the new nutrition labeling, as do other small or odd- shaped packages. But FDA has found ways to deal with such problems.

Food Preservatives : BHA, Sulfites
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
BHA and the related compound butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) have been used for years, mostly in foods that are high in fats and oils. They slow the development of off-flavors, odors, and color changes caused by oxidation.

Food Preservatives
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Without preservatives, food safety problems would get out of hand. Yet consumers continue to have questions about the safety of the preservatives themselves. Unless you grow all your food in your own garden and prepare all your meals from scratch

Seafood Fraud: Is Something Fishy Going On?
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
How do you know the fish tagged red snapper at the market isn't rockfish, its look-alike that should sell for much less? FDA is doing something about such species substitution and other unsavory seafood marketing practices.

Seafood Hotline
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Is shark meat tested to make sure the shark hasn't gobbled a human? Why do some fish glow in the dark? These and some 10,000 other questions have been answered by FDA's new Seafood Hotline since it began getting calls less than a year ago.

Pesticides in Foods
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The levels of pesticide residues on infant foods and adult foods that infants and children eat are within tolerances set by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a recent FDA report.

Bottled Water Safe?
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The per person consumption of bottled water in the United States doubled between 1984 and 1991, and more than 700 different brands are now on the market. FDA has proposed new regulations to better ensure the quality of these varied products.

Food Label: Good Reading For Good Eating
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Reading food labels will be more rewarding after manufactures make changes required by new FDA and USDA regulations. It may not have the power of a Pulitzer prize-winning novel or the luridness of a checkout counter tabloid, but the new food label still

Smart Drugs and Drink May Not Be Smart
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Young professionals in some parts of the country are turning to so- called smart drugs and drinks in an effort to be hip or get ahead. But there's no evidence that they work, and they may be harmful.

Ingredient Labeling: What's In a Food?
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Ingredients for all standardized foods must be listed on the label of the product, according to a final rule FDA published last January. The regulation affects the listing of flavorings, colorings, spices, and other substances.

Urethane in Alcoholic Beverages
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Urethane, a natural byproduct of the fermentation process, causes cancer in animals, so scientists are trying to find out if the tiny amount in alcohol beverages poses any threat to humans. Recent industry efforts have reduced the amount of this substance

Genetically Engineered Foods: Fears and Facts
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Genetic engineering of fruits and vegetables and FDA's policy concerning these foods have been the subject of many consumer questions recently. To help answer the questions, FDA Consumer writer Mary Alice Sudduth talked to James Maryanski, biotechnology

Insect Fragments in Food
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
If you can identify the antenna or mandible, you'll know what insect is infesting the food, according to food specialists whose daily task it is to make sure adulterated products never reach the comsumer.

Food Safety : Mass Spectrometry, Flaws in Fermentation
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
In other FDA food laboratories, chemists use mass spectrometry (MS) to do different types of analyses. MS enables chemists to identify organic chemicals such as dioxins, pesticides, and naturally occurring toxins.

High-Tech Tools for Food Safety Sleuths
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The need for speed in identifying bacterial food contaminants has spawned new techniques such as a DNA probe that FDA scientists developed. Other high-tech tools help analyze food for harmful chemicals.