Every now and then, it happens: A food, such as eggs, is recalled for contamination. Media alerts make it easy to find out if the carton in your refrigerator is among those included in the recall. But what about that frozen meal you’re about to pop in the microwave? Have parts of it been made with the hazardous eggs? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to help you find out.

The FDA recently announced two pilot programs that will investigate the best methods for tracing produce and processed foods back to their sources. Such “tracebacks” have the potential to save lives in the wake of salmonella and E.coli outbreaks, or other evidence of food contamination.

The pilot programs are part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), passed in January of this year, which mandates record-keeping requirements for companies that produce high-risk foods, in order to improve their traceability. Such food supply chain information is necessary to protect public health—and calm public fears.

According to the FDA, current record-keeping practices vary among food producers, manufacturers, and retailers in terms of how much information is recorded; how far along the supply chain information is gathered; and the level of precision and technology utilized in the recording process. The FDA wants to gather reliable information all along the supply chain, from growers to grocers and restaurants.

The pilot programs will be carried out by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), which faces no easy task. Food traceback gets complicated with processed and packaged foods which may include as many as 30 ingredients from multiple sources. (Yet another reason whole foods rule!)

Currently, the FDA Food Code defines high risk or potentially hazardous foods as “those that are natural or synthetic and require temperature control because they are in a form capable of supporting the growth of certain bacteria known to cause illness in humans.” But this definition will change within the next year as the FSMA requires the FDA to develop and publish an actual list of high-risk foods.

The IFT expects to complete the pilot programs by March 2012. But what can you do now as a savvy, food safety-conscious consumer? Check out the listing of food recalls and market withdrawals within the last 60 days on the FDA’s consumer safety page. Also, to prevent foodborne illnesses, the USDA recommends the following basic steps:

• Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.
• Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate foods.
• Cook: Cook to proper temperatures.
• Chill: Refrigerate food promptly.

You can find more USA food-handling safety tips here.