Can you believe the food safety reports that you read and hear in the media?

We get all kinds of messages about food and food safety everyday. Sometimes the messages are warnings. Sometimes they conflict with the information in a previous report. You might feel confused. Following are a few hints to help you sort through the message maze.

1. Consider the source.

   Where does the message come from? Is the source reliable? Be skeptical of sources that have something personal to gain by convincing you to believe the information. Reliable sources use scientific expertise to back up their claims. Often reliable resources, like the FDA, have authority. Information from reliable sources is usually backed up quickly by other reliable sources.

2. Consider the scope and the specifics.

   Who is affected by the problem or information? Are only people of a certain age, such as newborn babies, affected? What about the amount consumed? Are you likely to consume close to that amount? Certain potent substances--like pesticides--can be used to help produce foods without harming consumers as long as dangerous amounts of the chemicals don't remain on the food. The FDA helps make sure safe limits are maintained. Is the problem confined to a certain area of the country? Is it possible that you have food shipped from that area? Is there a problem with only a specific batch of a product? If so, you need to throw out or return only those items with the affected lot number.

3. Consider the nature of science.

   Most research questions take years to investigate. Before something is taken as fact, the results of an investigation must be repeated by others. Science controversies do exist. Different scientists interpret data differently. Food safety messages based on research can change as scientists discover new information. Researchers draw broad conclusions from studies of large groups of people. Their conclusions about the risk of eating or not eating something are guidelines to individuals, not guarantees.