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Date:         Wed, 22 Nov 2000 12:32:19 EST
Reply-To:     EdNet@FOODSAFETY.GOV
Sender:       National Food Safety Educator's Network <EDNET-L@FOODSAFETY.GOV>
From:         EDNET@FOODSAFETY.GOV
Organization: National Food Safety Educator's Network
Subject:      EdNet Update 11/2000
 
   * * * *      National Food Safety Educator's Network      * * * *
   * * * *             EdNet-L@foodsafety.gov                * * * *
 
EdNet is an  electronic newsletter from the Food  and Drug Administration
(FDA), Food  Safety and  Inspection Service (FSIS),  and the  Centers for
Disease Control  and Prevention (CDC),  providing updates on  food safety
activities  to   educators  and  others  concerned   about  food  safety.
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IN THIS ISSUE
 
 
 FIGHT BAC!(TM)
 RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS
 NEWS FROM THE USDA/FDA FOODBORNE ILLNESS EDUCATION INFORMATION CENTER
 PUBLICATIONS
 PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
 INDUSTRY INFO
 FEEDBACK
 SUBSCRIBE
 
 
FIGHT BAC!(TM)
 
Macy's 2000 Thanksgiving Day Parade Features BAC Character
Your favorite 'green globby' life size BAC creature costume has a
"new," "better-in-every way" look and will be a prominent feature
in the 2000 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  The new BAC costume
will be unveiled publicly and viewed by millions of live and TV-
viewing audiences for the very first time!  BAC will stroll along-
side two characters used in USDA-themed campaigns:
  Thermy(TM) (the cooking thermometer)
  Power Panther (a nutrition character).
 
The three characters will precede a "Cornucopia" float carrying famous
Louisiana chef and cooking genius Emeril LaGasse at about 10:15 am
into the parade Thanksgiving Day morning!  USDA will also have other
themed characters in another part of the Parade: Smokey Bear and
Woodsy Owl will appear after the "Animal Planet Float" and before
a soaring canoe -- a conservation float with bumblebees.
 
 
Texas Partnership For Food Safety Education
In 1998, Texas started its own Partnership for Food Safety Education and
joined the national Partnership campaign in spreading the word on
food safety.  Similar to the national campaign, the Texas Partnership
consists of government and industry groups.  This year the
Partnership was able to establish its very own Domain Name
texasfoodsafety.org, in order to faciliate the dissemination of food
safety related information to the public. Texasfoodsafety.org
provides access to the current Texas Partnership partners, a kids
corner, food safety quiz, and other food safety links. The site
also features new brochures such as "Potluck Meals Brochure 2000,"
"2001 16-Month Coloring-Book Calendar," and "Food Safety Tips for
After School." Come visit this new Web site at:
http://www.texasfoodsafety.org
http://www.texasfoodsafety.org/brochures/
 
 
RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS
 
USDA Announces Holiday Video News Releases
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service urges you to use Thermy(TM)
for turkey safety and quality and wants to make sure you invite
Thermy(TM), the food thermometer, to your holiday feast.  This video
news release and script, along with "USDA'S Hotline Has Tips On Mail
Order Food Safety," is now available at the following Web site:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/vnrmenu.htm
For a VHS or BETA copy, write to: fsis.outreach@fsis.gov
 
Have a Safe Thanksgiving Dinner
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has all the facts ready for you to
prepare a safe holiday meal.  Look for the new "Turkey Basics"  fact sheet
on the FSIS Web site:  www.fsis.usda.gov
 
USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline is open on Thanksgiving from 8:00 until 2:00
p.m.  Don't hesitate to call with any question you may have. It's better to
be safe than sorry!! Call the Hotline at: 1-800-535-4555.
E-mail: mphotline@fsis.usda.gov
 
 
Please access USDA/FSIS Holiday Food Safety Web sites at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/consumerpubs.htm#holiday
 
 
FDA Announces Food Safety Grants
The FDA announced that it is awarding grants for innovative food safety
projects to thirteen state and local regulatory agencies.  This grant
program is intended to complement, develop or improve state and local
food safety programs that may also be used or transferred to other
state and local jurisdictions.  These grants, which total more than
$530,000, were awarded during National Food Safety Education Month as
part of President Clinton's Food Safety Initiative.  The grants are for
a one-year period and were awarded in two key areas: inspection
techniques and education/health information dissemination.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpgrant2.html
 
FDA Enhances Its Dietary Supplement Web Site
FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) has
designed and improved not only the look of its Dietary Supplement Web
site, but also the content as well. The site, which is one of CFSAN's
most actively accessed, is now organized to help find information
related to dietary supplements.  By updating and more accurately
identifying items, clarifying categories or adding new ones, it will
be easier to locate documents or link to other sites.  These changes
mark the beginning of a redesign process that will continue to evolve
as new information on labeling, safety warning and upcoming meetings,
becomes available and outdated information is archived.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html
 
What's Up With Thermometers? The Thermy Campaign
If you're looking for that perfect gift for the family, consider
a food thermometer.  Every household needs at least one, according to
US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS). In May, FSIS launched the Thermy(TM) Campaign, a national
consumer education initiative, to promote the use of food thermometers
in the home.  The agency says that consumers should  use a food
thermometers everytime when cooking meat, poultry, and egg dishes:
It's the only way to ensure that food reaches a temperature high
enough to destroy harmful bacteria.
 
For more on how and when to use food thermometers and the various types
available, check out the Thermy(TM) Campaign Web site at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/thermy/
 
 
NFSEM 2000 Feedback
Feedback continues to come in from all parts of the country about the
great activities implemented for National Food Safety Education Month
(NFSEM) 2000. Rosalyn Scruggs, Nutrition Education Coordinator in the
Little Rock School District, presented a mini food safety course to 11
classrooms, which involved 4 teachers and 238 students. She also featured
National Food Safety Education Month in their department newsletter,
Nibbler's News.
 
We would still love to hear from you about your activities this year for
NFSEM 2000 (pictures or special materials, or even video footage are
welcomed) and your ideas and suggestions for next year's 2001 theme,
Chill-Refrigerate Promptly. We will highlight some of your great ideas
in a future issue of the Food Safety Educator.
 
Please send to Gertie Hurley at USDA/FSIS, 1400 Independence Ave, SW.,
Room 2925 S, Washington, DC 20250.
E-mail: gertie.hurley@usda.gov or fax: 202-720-9063.
 
 
False E-mail Report: Hantavirus Spread by Contact with Soda Cans
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received
several inquiries about an e-mail report of a stock clerk who became
infected with hantavirus while working in a storeroom.  According to
the e-mail message, the infection resulted from exposure to dried
rodent droppings that were contaminated with hantavirus.  The e-mail
message warns the reader to take precautions when handling items such
as soda cans and grocery packages (for example, cereal boxes) because
they may be contaminated with hantavirus.
 
The e-mail report is untrue.  CDC could not substantiate this report
of a hantavirus infection, nor has CDC been asked to participate in an
investigation of the incident described in the e-mail.
 
Hantavirus can cause a serious, often life-threatening disease called
hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS.  The viruses are carried by
certain species of mice and can be spread to humans by exposure to
virus-contaminated rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hoaxes/hanta-hoax.htm
 
 
CDC's Infectious Disease Conference Online Presentations
Over 2000 public health professionals in many areas of specialty met
mid-July in Atlanta, Georgia for the CDC International Conference on
Emerging Infectious Disease (ICEID). Access selected presentations
and panels from the International Conference, many of which include
both audio and slides.  Some are also available as downloadable
Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.  The proceedings of the ICEID
Conference are published (electronically and in print) in a special
issue of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal. The ICEID program
included plenary sessions and symposia with invited speakers,
presentations on emerging infections, and oral poster presentations.
Major topics included current work on surveillance, epidemiology,
research, communication and training, bioterrorism, and prevention and
control of emerging infectious diseases, both in the United States and
abroad.
http://www.cdc.gov/iceid/webcast/promo_webcast.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/iceid/Proceedings.htm
 
 
How To Reference Old EdNet Updates
EdNet subscribers can access previous EdNet "Updates" which have been
archived since its inception in October, 1997, at:
http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/ednet.html
 
 
NEWS FROM THE USDA/FDA FOODBORNE ILLNESS EDUCATION INFORMATION CENTER
 
Each issue of EdNet highlights interesting items from the USDA/FDA
Foodborne Illness Educational Materials Database.
 
Food Safety House
This imaginative curriculum by University of Rhode Island
Cooperative Extension Service in partnership with USDA Team
Nutrition includes a teacher's guide and laminated flip chart
to be used in the classroom.  The curriculum is divided into two
parts, one for first grade through third grade, and the other for
forth grade through sixth grade.  Each lesson includes background
information and goals for the teacher and activities for students.
There are six units overall that teach students the basics of
food safety.  Each room in the food safety house is full of different
facts for children to learn about keeping their food safe.  Order for
$40 from KIDS FIRST, Inc., One Richmond Square, Suite 217W,
Providence, RI  02906.
Telephone: (401) 751-4503, Fax: (401) 421-0248,
E-mail: kids1st@gis.net
 
To learn about other food safety training materials, visit the
Center's Web site at:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/foodborne/
 
PUBLICATIONS
 
FDA's Article Prevents Foodborne Illness at Family Gatherings
"Home for the Holidays: Preventing Foodborne Illness at Family
Gatherings" is a new article featured in FDA's Consumer Magazine.
This article devotes special attention to holiday foods and food
practices popular during the season that can increase the risk of
foodborne illness.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2000/600_food.html
 
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
 
CDC Director's Senate Testimony on Antimicrobial Resistance
In a statement by Jeffrey P. Koplan, M.D., M.P.H., Director, CDC,
"Antimicrobial resistance is a complex and multifaceted public health
issue. The use of antimicrobials in agriculture can lead to the
development of resistant strains of pathogens that can spread to
humans through the food supply or through contact with infected
animals...This complexity highlights the importance of a coordinated,
overarching multidisciplinary public health approach that involves
physicians, epidemiologists, laboratory and behavioral scientists
veterinarians, and health educators. We are all striving to make
antimicrobial resistance a manageable problem that does not
compromise the availability of safe and effective drugs to treat
infectious diseases."
 
This testimony by Dr. Koplan on "Antimicrobial Resistance as a Public
Health Issue" before the Committee on Appropriations, United States
Senate, can be found at the following Web site:
http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/miscellaneous/koplan-092000.htm
 
Congressional Testimony by CDC Associate Director
Dr. Stephen Ostroff, CDC's Associate Director for Epidemiologic
Science, discusses CDC's role in the area of foodborne diseases and
food safety, including how CDC has worked with other federal
partners and used resources obtained through the National Food Safety
Initiative to strengthen the Nation's ability to detect and respond
to emerging foodborne disease threats.  In his testimony to the
Senate Agricultural, Nutrition and Forestry Commitee, Dr. Ostroff
also discusses the public health burden of foodborne illnesses in the
United States, highlights CDC's progress in reducing foodborne
illnesses, and provide examples from surveillance reports and recent
outbreak investigations to demonstrate how National Food Safety
Initiative resources are being applied to today's public health
practice.
http://www.cdc.gov/washington/legislative/09202000.htm
 
 
INDUSTRY INFO
 
National Shellfish Sanitation Program Model Ordinance
The current National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) Model
Ordinace establishes the minimum requirements necessary to regulate
the interstate commerce of molluscan shellfish and to establish a
program to protect the public health of consumers by assuring the sale
or distribution of shellfish from safe sources and assuring shellfish
have not been adulterated during cultivating, harvesting, processing,
shipping, and handling. This document is intended to provide guidance
and shall supercede the 1997 NSSP Model Ordinance.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ear/nsspotoc.html
 
FDA Announces Industry Guidance for Refusing Access to HACCP Records
FDA announces the availability of a draft guidance for industry
entitled "Refusal of Inspection or Access to Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point (HACCP) Records Pertaining to the Safe
and Sanitary Processing of Fish and Fish Products."  This draft
guidance sets forth the Agency's interpretation of its HACCP
regulations for fish and fish products as they pertain to the
inspection of facilities and records.  The Agency is clarifying
that a processor's refusal to allow FDA to inspect its processing
facilities, or to provide HACCP records or plans to an inspector
during an inspection, violates the regulations and thus, may trigger
a regulatory response by the Agency.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr001114.html
 
 
FEEDBACK
 
If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this issue, please
contact us via e-mail at:
ednet@foodsafety.gov.
 
 
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