WASHINGTON — The United States Department of Agriculture announced it will utilize a variety of multimedia sources to communicate food safety messages to the public. A set of Really Simple Syndication (R.S.S.) feeds for news and recall releases was launched today by the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Also available is a new capability to bookmark and share food-safety content on personal and publicly shared Web pages.
"We are excited to provide food safety information and resources in another timely and convenient manner," said Al Almanza, F.S.I.S administrator. "For issues of food safety and public health, delivering useful information to as many consumers as possible is a top priority."
F.S.I.S. called R.S.S. feeds an effective method of summarizing the latest news and information from a Web site that can be easily read. R.S.S. feeds for news content complements those already available for the F.S.I.S. podcasting series:
Allowing users to re-purpose food-safety content in Web-based communities will expand the reach of educational materials by enabling users to share information from F.S.I.S.' Web site on personal social media pages, according to the agency.
F.S.I.S. is also launching a Twitter presence to reach out to an audience that the agency might not be reaching through traditional means of communication such as news releases and other publications, as another means of engaging with consumers. To keep up with food-safety announcements and useful tips and resources, this information can be accessed at www.twitter.com/USDAFoodSafety.
These features will encourage wider use and awareness of multimedia and other informational resources provided by F.S.I.S., the agency said.
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