UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Consumers with questions on food safety, storage and preparation now have a new Internet resource, thanks to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

The Penn State Food Safety Web site (http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/) is a convenient and easy-to-use resource for consumers, educators and the food industry. According to site author Luke LaBorde, assistant professor of food science, the site was a response to public and professional confusion.

"We're all faced with a barrage of alarming news about food safety hazards and solutions," LaBorde says. "And it's not just the average consumer looking for accurate, science-based food safety information. Penn State Cooperative Extension educators also must scramble for reliable information on food safety hazards and effective control measures.

"This site combines a well-organized, user-friendly environment with a comprehensive, 'farm-to-fork' approach that provides information on the entire food system."

LaBorde says surveys indicate that many people look to the Internet for food safety information, but can't find what they need. Commercial sites, for instance, may lack objectivity or be too disorganized or lengthy for convenient use. Others contain outdated information.

"Consumers can access our site for food safety information from university researchers, extension educators and government authorities," says LaBorde. "They also can get up-to-the-minute information on issues like E. coli contamination, pesticides, food additives, mad cow disease and biotechnology."

The site contains links to more than 1,200 reviewed food safety-related Web resources. The Food Safety News and Features section offers daily updates on general food safety, diseases and genetically modified organisms. In addition to links to federal agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency, the section offers a special "Rumor Control" feature which debunks the latest misinformation.

"Food safety advice from a variety of sources can be contradictory and confusing," LaBorde says. "We have collected information from authoritative sources that consumers can count on to be accurate."

Central to this Web site are two easily searchable databases:

• The Food Safety Database divides the food system into four sectors: consumer, food service/retail, processing and production. There are Web links to research and extension publications, position papers from commercial and trade organizations, and government regulations.
• The Food Preservation Database contains links to specific procedures for safe canning, freezing, drying, smoking and curing of foods.

"Gardeners harvesting fruits and vegetables or hunters just returning from the woods can use this database to make safe and delicious products," LaBorde says. "They just select a process method -- canning, freezing or drying, for instance -- then select a specific fruit, vegetable or meat. There are over 100 food types to select from."

The Web site also provides a link to courses and workshops on food safety offered through Penn State's food science department; an "Educator's Toolbox" of brochures, fact sheets, videos, posters and other materials; and a list of additional food safety-related contacts and Web sites.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Luke LaBorde at 814-863-2298.

Contacts:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-865-1068 fax