Home  Georgia Food Matters

Bad Food
Food Safety (Tips)
Food Illnesses
Food Regulations (For Preparing , Storing & Labeling)
Reporting Bad Food

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Food Safety 

How Fast Food Spoils In The Fridge (Chart)
Be careful with those leftovers!

*How Clean Is Your Restaurant?/Restaurant Report Cards By The Atlanta Board Of Health
This link  is updated every Thursday.

State Health Departments (All 50 States & DC) 
May also lead to your county health department.

Health Departments (Links To All 50 States, Not DC)

Fight BAC! Four Simple Steps to Food Safety

Food Safety Clearinghouse
For Complaints and consumer tips on how to handle food, food and pregnant mothers and much more.

See Diet & Nutrition

See Food Regulation

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Food Illnesses

*Foodborne Outbreak Investigation Form (GA)
This form is used by the State Health Department to report foodborne outbreak investigations to the CDC. Preliminary information is requested within 2 weeks of the first date of illness to identify the outbreak. Completed forms should be returned within 2 months. Please return both forms to the Notifiable Disease Unit at the Georgia Division of Public Health.

*How Clean Is Your Restaurant?/Restaurant Report Cards By The Atlanta Board Of 
  Health
This link  is updated every Thursday.

State Health Departments (All 50 States & DC) 
May also lead to your county health department.

Health Departments (Links To All 50 States, Not DC)

Food Borne Illnesses (CDC Brochures)

Reporting Foodborne Illness (CDC) 

See Reporting Bad Food

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Food Regulations 

State Health Departments (All 50 States & DC) 
May also lead to your county health department.

FTC Enforcement Policy Statement on
Food Advertising

Deceptive Advertisements (Federal Trade Commission) 
Rules & Regulations against such.

The Applicability of FTC Law to Internet Advertising

States With Agricultural Import Labeling Statutes
For Florida, Kansas, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

States W/Food-Disparagement Laws: Civil & Criminal Statutes
For Louisiana, Idaho, Mississippi, Georgia, Colorado, South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio and North Dakota.

Reporting Bad Food

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Reporting Bad Food
To Government Food Regulators
To The Media & Non-Profits
To The Company That Made The Product
To The Company Or Their Ad Agency (To Remove These Misleading Ads)

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Reporting To The Government

What To Do When You Have Problems With Food Products (USDA)
What to do and who to contact. 

www.recalls.gov
A "one stop shop" for U.S. Government recalls. Has recall information on cars, boats, medicine, consumer products, food, cosmetics and environmental products. Just follow the tabs to obtain the latest recall information, to report a dangerous product, or to learn important safety tips.

Food Recalls (National)
Report an unsafe food product to be recalled or find out what already has been recalled.

For Complaints Against Food Preparers, Grocery Stores, and companies that sell unsafe or misleading products.

*The Georgia Agriculture Department (404) 656-3621
For complaints regarding unsanitary conditions or food violations (i.e. moldy bread, bugs in food, eggs, milk, baby food and sandwiches w/o expiration dates...etc.).  For other government offices, see the blue section of the White Pages. Also look in the United States Government section and Georgia County Government sections.

*Fulton County Health Department (404) 730-1211  

State Health Departments (All 50 States & DC) 
May also lead to your county health department.

Thomas' Food Industry Register can tell you a company's name, address and phone number, the products it produces and the government agencies that regulate both the products and the company itself.

Federal Agencies
Below are the links and phone numbers for each federal agency.  Local branches can be found in your phone book under U.S. Government.

*The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (404) 347-4265
Ensures safety of all foods except meat poultry and egg products. 

Cosmetics & Colors (202) 205-4493

Office Of Plant & Dairy Foods & Beverages (202) 205-5321

Office Of Food Labeling (202) 205-5229

Office Of Seafood (202) 418-3150

Food Safety.gov  
Link takes you to all the government agencies that regulate food.

Dietary Supplements-Industry Information & Regulations             

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
Ensures safety of all foods except meat poultry and egg products. 

The Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS)
Ensures the safety of meat, poultry and egg products.

The Federal Trade Commission
For false advertising claims.

Toll-Free Directory 1-800-555-1212
This free service will tell you if your agency has a toll-free number.

Meat, Poultry, & Egg Products

Contact: Food Safety and Inspection Service of USDA

Reporting Illnesses & Product Complaints (Agency Links)
For Foodborne Illness, unsafe water, dietary supplements, alcohol and more.

Food Safety Clearinghouse
For Complaints and consumer tips on how to handle food, food and pregnant mothers and much more.

U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (770) 493-9401

Reporting To The Media & Non-Profits

*Channel 2/WSB Consumer Action Center (404) 892-8227

Find Your Local Newspaper, Magazine, Radio & TV Stations
Select your state, and then click on your county or city for the proper media to report to. (DC Not Included).

*Call For Action (678) 422-8466
Volunteers aligned with the media are trained to assist consumers through mediation and education in order to resolve problems with businesses, government agencies and other organizations. Services are free, confidential and available to individuals and small businesses. 

National Help Orgs For A Variety Of Consumer Problems
The Elderly, Environment, Families, Fraud, Health & Safety, Insurance The Handicapped, Medical Problems, Telemarketing and more.

See Food Regulations

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Reporting To The Companies That Make The Product

Find The Company Behind The Product (Ad Redbook Homepage)
At the mid-top of the page click on brand name for the company's  name, address and telephone number.  If the firm doesn't list a toll free number, you may be able to find one for free by calling The Toll Free Directory (1800-555-1212). 

Thomas' Food Industry Register can tell a company's name, address and phone number, the products it produces and the government agencies that regulate both the products and the company itself.

Information On US & International Companies
Find the company behind the brand name, where they're located, their financial info, their officers, subsidiaries, who they advertise with, what media they use, and more. Refers you to a library-May have to buy or reserve the book.

Getting The Company Or Ad Agency To Pull False Or Misleading Ads

Perhaps you have been harmed by a false or misleading advertisement and want such removed from the public eye. But before you can do anything about it, you must first find out who is responsible.  And even when you know who to talk to, it's another matter entirely getting anyone to listen.

Strategy
Using The Advertising Redbooks, find out where the company advertises.  Then in separate letters to both the company and their advertisers, tell them what will happen if they don't pull their misleading advertisement.

Steps

Using Advertising RedBooks

1. First: Use their brand name lookup if you need the company  that makes the product.
   
2. Then get a password and Id so you can log on to the red book site. This site has a free 7 day trial membership to find information such as the advertising agencies employed by the company, a breakdown of the products handled by each agency, and e-mail addresses for key company and ad agency personnel. (Note: Once you sign up, it may take a day before you can log on). 
   
3. As soon as you have access, do a subscriber search using the company name. When you score a hit, click on the company name.  From there you'll see several options at the bottom, including "Key Personnel" "Advertising Agencies" and "Brands".
   
4. Click on "Advertising Agencies" so you can find the company which does all or most of their advertising. Then write down key names, numbers and email addresses. 
   
5. Write a letter to the both the company and their advertising agency telling them their ads are false and must be pulled. 

Your letter should warn them "You are hereby given written notice that at least one of your ads is false and/ or misleading. (Make sure you are very clear about which ad is the misleading one. If possible, enclose the brochure or newspaper clipping that includes the ad. Then explain in one or two sentences why the ad is misleading).

 Next, insert the following:

"On  (fill in the date)           I saw your ad in (name the newspaper, magazine or TV station/radio station) and relied on it to my detriment.

As you know, false advertising is a violation of federal law. If you continue to display these ads, your company may be subject to the severe fines and penalties imposed by the Federal Trade Commission.

Please be advised that you and your ad agency share equal responsibility for any advertisement that is false or misleading.  Under federal law, it matters not whether you designed the ad or merely displayed it.  Both of you have received notice of the defect and both of you will held liable if nothing is done about it.

Please respond within 10 days. Otherwise this letter and samples of your ad (send them newspaper clippings, audio tape recordings, video clips, etc) will be forwarded to the Federal Trade Commission for investigation. 

You can reach me at (write in your Name Address and tel #/ and or email)." 

(sign your name).

At the bottom of the last page
put "cc"  and the name of the other firm you're sending the letter to. This tells them that the other firm is also getting a copy of your letter. So if you're writing to the product seller, "cc" the advertising company.  And when you write to the advertising company, "cc" the product seller.

Send your letter certified mail return receipt so someone at the company signs for it. Keep your receipt.

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Diet & Nutrition

American Dietetic Association

US Department Of Agriculture

Food Safety Clearinghouse
For Complaints and consumer tips on how to handle food, food and pregnant mothers and much more.

See Food Safety

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 Food Banks & Soup Kitchens

The Atlanta Community Food Bank (404) 892-9822
The food Bank helps 700 agencies furnish more than a million meals each month to people in Atlanta and North Georgia.  They also raise money through food walks and hunger drives to wipe out hunger.

Paulding County Community Service Directory (GA)
Children, disability, seniors, housing, health & medical, crisis hotlines, employment & other social services.

Project Open Hand (Metro Atlanta) (404) 872-8089 or 872-6947
Delivers food to the homes of aids patients who live inside the Atlanta Perimeter.  They also have satellite drop-off sites in Gwinnett and Cobb counties.

Can't Pay Your Rent, Mortgage or Utilities? (Consumer-SOS)
Use your extra money for food....Step by step on what to do and where to go for assistance.

See The Homeless (Consumer-SOS)