The federal government took measures to bolster food safety this week as more potentially contaminated food was pulled off shelves.

Raw tahini, soup and packets of dried plums were recalled as a new rule required manufacturers to tell the government about any potentially contaminated product within 24 hours.

Michael Taylor, the new senior adviser to the FDA's commissioner, said the database means that instead of waiting until people get sick, the agency will be able to act as soon as it has information about potentially contaminated food.

Also this week, the White House unveiled a new Web site that brings together information on food safety from various agencies, including the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The site, www.foodsafety.gov, is designed to make it easier for consumers to get information about recalls, find tips on safe food handling practices and get their questions answered.

These actions are part of a campaign by President Obama to bolster America's food safety network, which has been hit with successive outbreaks of food poisoning involving salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and other pathogens that have tainted everything from ground beef to spinach to peanut butter and cookie dough.

At the end of July, the U.S. House passed the Food Safety Modernization Act which would give the FDA authority to recall tainted food, examine company records and carry out more frequent inspections. The Senate is set to consider its own version of the bill this session.

In the meantime, the recalls continue. This week the FDA said that Premier Organics of Berkeley, Calif., was pulling 840 cases of Artisana Raw Tahini, a sesame-seed paste, sold in 16-oz. glass jars, over fears they might be contaminated with salmonella.

The agency also warned consumers that tests turned up high levels of lead in Saladitos con Chile (salted plums with chili powder), made by Chulada, Inc. of Burbank, Calif. They are sold in 1/4-oz. and 1-oz. packages.

And the USDA said Bay Valley Foods of Pittsburgh, Pa., was pulling 6,490 pounds of a chunky grilled steak and vegetable soup that may be undercooked. The soup was sold in 18.6-oz cans under the Stator Bros. brand.

-- Lynne Terry; lynneterry@news.oregonian.com

