The next time the U.S. government issues a food safety alert, you might hear about it straight from the horse’s mouth — on Twitter.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection serviced just launched Twitter accounts for specific states that can share news of recalls on poultry, meat and other food products for those specific regions.
“These new Twitter feeds provide yet another mechanism for us to provide consumers with critical updates and relevant information they need to protect their families from foodborne illness,” USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen said in a statement. “The immediacy of information-sharing through social media is unparalleled, and we believe these timely, targeted updates will better protect public health.”
Every state will now have its own Twitter alert handle using the state’s two-letter abbreviation followed by “_FSISAlert.” So for those of you in California, the handle is @CA_FSISAlert; New Yorkers should follow @NY_FSISAlert, etc. You can find the full list of Twitter feeds here.
Previously FSIS alerts were issued through press releases and one main Twitter account,
@USDAFoodSafety. The state-specific feeds will help consumers more easily identify which recalls are relevant to them.
Check out the video above to learn more about the new Twitter feeds. Tell us in the comments: Will you follow your state’s feed? What do you think of the government’s use of Twitter to alert the public?
Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, RomanOkopny
Source: Mashable
0 comments:
Post a Comment