The US Department of Health and Human Services is amplifying and expanding the recall of food products containing possibly contaminated peanut butter and peanuts with a full social media block and tackle. Today the HHS homepage is devoted to the recall and the CDC has a page of social media tools for consumers and partners including blogs, e-cards, widgets, podcasts; there is information on their mobile site, the FDA and CDC YouTube Channels, and the CDC areas on MySpace, Daily Strength and Second Life. You can also get updates from both the FDA and CDC via Twitter [all of the links are here].
The heart of the program is a searchable product database accessible through this widget you can put on your own site.
And for those who are interested, the CDC and FDA are hosting a special webinar for bloggers regarding the recent Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak and associated recalls of peanut butter and peanut-containing products. The webinar will offer an opportunity to hear updates from FDA and CDC officials and ask questions. It will also highlight recall-specific resources for bloggers.
The date and time:
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST
To log-in:
Call 1-800-857-9824, pass code: 1234
And visit here:
If you plan to attend, please e-mail [email protected].
For you government types of who have just been watching the social media developments, guess this is a wake-up call. It's time to engage with your audience. For bloggers, sign up and see how you can help spread the word. And for WOMMA, a nice case study.
And to look back at what public health thought new media was 18 months ago. What a long, strange trip it's been.
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