With the recent onset of numerous outbreaks of potential and significant health risks associated with contaminated food products, the Food and Drug Administration has begun a pilot program to better educate consumers about recalled food products.

The program will last for the next six months, with a possible extension for the evaluation period at the end of the six months

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan and Great Value brands of peanut butter that may be contaminated with salmonella.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study that indicates a link between 288 cases of the food-borne illness and the peanut butter brands. This link has affected 39 states that have sold certain jars of the peanut butters

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public not to purchase or use Wild Kitty Cat Food. Routine monitoring conducted by the FDA detected Salmonella in an analyzed sample of the frozen raw Wild Kitty Cat Food product.

If cats or other pets eat this food, they may become infected with Salmonella. Humans can also be infected by handling or ingesting the food, touching the pets who have consumed the food, or touching surfaces that come into contact with the food or the pet(s)

The Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise liner made an unusual visit to the Bay Area in California before continuing on its 108-day scheduled cruise around the world. The cruise ship began it trip on January 8 from New York. After departing from Ft. Lauderdale, FL on January 10, more than 300 passengers and crew members aboard the ship fell ill with the norovirus, which is a highly contagious type of stomach flu.

By the time the ship reached the San Francisco Bay, only four passengers still had the viral symptoms, which include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea

One of the most effective ways to avoid becoming sick is also the easiest and cheapest. Washing your hands is the simplest way to avoid infection, researchers at the Mayo Clinic say.

Among the diseases people can avoid becoming infected with by washing their hands are colds and flu, which can lead to death from pneumonia, and food borne illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli infection, which kill about 5,000 people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control