|  |  | **Food Safety and Inspection    Service    United States Department of Agriculture    Washington, D.C. 20250-3700** |
|--|--|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

##### Consumer Information

##### Summer 1996

## The Food Safety Educator

#### Pilot Food Safety Education Program

To help cut the rate of summer foodborne illnesses, a team of federal, state and localofficials are joining in a food safety education pilot project in New York state thissummer. 

They have one primary message: Cook hamburgers until they are brown, with no pink inthe juices. A key purpose of the campaign is preventing illness caused by *E. coli*O157:H7, frequently attributed to undercooked ground beef. 

Media materials include press kits, radio and television interviews, video newsreleases and radio and print public service announcements. Grassroots tools include logos,newsletter articles and consumer handouts in English and Spanish.

According to Marjorie Davidson, director of food safety education for FSIS, "we'lluse the results to develop prototype materials other communities can use in developingtheir own 'hamburger' campaigns. The 'thorough cooking' message is especially importantfor young children and the elderly because they face increased risks of developingfoodborne illness from *E. coli*O157:H7." 

The package of prototype materials is not yet available for distribution, but checkthis newsletter's inserts for a reproducible copy of the consumer education flyers to beused in the campaign. 

FSIS's Food Safety Education office is coordinating the campaign. Cooperators includethe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York State Departments of Healthand Agriculture and Markets, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York City HealthDepartment.

#### Improved Data on Foodborne Illness

How many people become sick every year from foodborne illness? What factors increaserisks?

Until now, the picture has not been clear. Estimates of foodborne illness varywidely--from 6 million to 33 million annually. 

In the coming years, we'll be getting some better answers through a new foodborneillness surveillance system established at five sentinel sites located in healthdepartments throughout the country. The project is a cooperative effort launched a yearago by FSIS, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention, (CDC).

The surveillance system has already identified two foodborne illness outbreaks and alsoconfirmed that *Campylobacter* is the most frequently laboratory-isolated bacteriumfrom persons with diarrhea in the sentinel site areas.

For more information call FSIS Epidemiology and Emergency Response Staff, (202)205-0293.

#### The Rip-off Section: (Sidebar)

This past Spring, USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline logged more than 400 calls fromconsumers anxious about Great Britain's recent BSE crisis (Bovine SpongiformEncephalopathy, or "mad cow disease.") Calls were generated by the considerablepress devoted to he theoretical link between BSE and a similar human disease(Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease). To date, U.S. cattle are free from all signs of BSE. 

##### USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline:

#### Consumers Know "Bad Bugs"--But Still Miss Some Food Safety Basics

> 
*The hotline, part of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, provides accurate,  up-to-date information to callers on safe food handling and the prevention of foodborne  illness. Home economists, registered dietitians, and food technologists staff this public  health service.*

One of the trends over the 10 years of the Meat and Poultry Hotline's existence is anincreasing awareness among consumers of the specific pathogens responsible for foodborneillness. Words that were foreign to everyday language ten years ago--like *Salmonella*and *E. coli* O157:H7--are now part of many peoples' vocabularies.

But there's a paradox at play here. While many callers have grasped the scientificnames of pathogens, basic misunderstandings about food safety continue to exist.

For food safety educators, understanding consumers' food safety misconceptions may becritical to helping people handle food safely--and teaching that there's more to foodsafety I.Q. than knowing the names of the "bad bugs." 

What are these common fallacies and how do we deal with them here on the USDA Meat andPoultry Hotline? Take a look: 

##### 1. The "one food, one bug" school of thought.

Consumers mistakenly tend to associate specific pathogens only with specific foods: *E.coli* and ground beef, *Salmonella* and chicken, *Trichinella spiralis* andpork. Educators are challenged to help consumers understand that ANY food can be a vehiclefor a VARIETY of bacteria. Consumers need to know safe food handling practices are alwaysimportant--even when they think a particular bacteria is "no longer a problem." 

For example, when people hear that trichinosis from pork has become infrequent, someassume it's okay to serve pork rare. Our hotline specialists explain that cooking to asafe internal temperature is necessary to destroy ANY pathogens that might be present,from trichinae to salmonellae to *Toxoplasma gondii*.

It's also useful for consumers to know that some illnesses associated with specificfoodborne pathogens CAN be transmitted person to person--not through food. And theconsequences can be serious. One of the four children that died as a result of the 1993 *E.coli* outbreak in the Pacific Northwest never ate a contaminated hamburger. The childcontracted *E. coli* from another child at his day care center.

How does this happen? Through "fecal/oral" contamination. For instance,bacteria from feces can be spread if hands aren't thoroughly washed after using thebathroom. To prevent this, careful handwashing, safe-diaper changing and good personalhygiene are essential. 

##### 2. Where's the "quick fix?"

It's human nature to want "quick fix" solutions to problems. When consumersapply this approach to food safety, they can put themselves at risk for foodborne disease.Egg safety calls to the Meat and Poultry Hotline illustrate this point.

Although health authorities for the past decade have cautioned against consumption ofraw or lightly-cooked eggs, our callers frequently ask if the government has"fixed" the problem of Salmonella enteritidis. Callers reluctant to give up thatfavorite Key Lime pie recipe or homemade mayonnaise resist the idea there is any riskinvolved. But the basics of food safety remain true. It's risky to eat any undercookedmeat, poultry, fish or EGG. 

##### 3. Cooking as a cure-all.

"I've cooked the food and killed all the bacteria." Why, consumers will ask,isn't it safe to leave the cooked turkey on the counter until the evening meal? What'swrong with cooling the large pot of soup on the back porch? Why can't I kill the bacteriain mishandled food by cooking thoroughly or reheating?

Hotline specialists respond by explaining to consumers that thorough cooking destroysbacteria that cause illness.

However, other factors can come into play to compromise the safety of cooked foods. Forinstance, if cooked food is mishandled--left at room temperature too long--dangeroustoxins can form. Some toxins are extremely heat resistant--and may not be destroyed nomatter how much food is re-heated. Cooked foods can also be recontaminated by exposure tobacteria through lack of food-handler hygiene.

##### 4. Storing food--"How long before it 'spoils'?"

Many consumers call with questions about long-term storage. How long can they keep thefood, they ask, before it spoils? 

There are actually two misunderstandings at work here. One, that "spoiled"food causes foodborne disease. The second, that long-term storage compromises food safety.

Many consumers believe that spoiled food causes foodborne disease. As our specialistsexplain, it's not so. The organisms that cause a food to spoil--and possibly look, smelland taste bad--aren't the same organisms that cause foodborne disease. Conversely, thedangerous bacteria that CAN make you sick might be in food that looks"unspoiled." Any food, fresh or frozen, can contain dangerous bacteria if it hasbeen mishandled. 

The second consumer misunderstanding is that long-term storage can compromise foodsafety. In fact, the multiplication of most disease-causing organisms is slowed byrefrigerator temperatures and stopped by freezing. The real issue with long-term storageis food quality, not food safety. Food that is stored longer than suggested guidelines maydecline in quality. These changes can occur gradually and are influenced by temperatureand humidity. Hotline staff remind callers to look at storage charts and product dates asguidelines, not absolutes.

For more information about the Meat and Poultry Hotline, contact Bessie Berry,Director, at (202) 720-5604.

#### "Food Safety on the Web"--A Satellite Videoconference

"Food Safety on the Web," a national satellite videoconference to promoteawareness and use of USDA Food Safety Education Databases will be aired live from KansasState University September 20, 1996 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. central time.

The program will focus on the content of three databases:- the  National Food Safety Database , operated by the University of Florida, 
- the  Extension Food Safety Education Database  residing at Michigan State    University and,
- the  Foodborne Illness Educational Materials Database  at the National Agricultural    Library.

The videoconference, a joint project of Kansas, Wisconsin and Michigan CooperativeExtension, will be of interest to educators in extension, public health, classrooms, foodservice and elsewhere who are interested in using food safety educational curricula andresources.

The program will show types of resources catalogued in the databases and how to usethese in educational settings. It will also highlight a number of successful food safetyeducational programs referenced in the databases.

The program can be downlinked free of charge. For more information, contact JaneFreyenberger, Kansas State University, phone (913) 532-1674 or e-mail: *[email protected],edu*.Or check the web page at:*http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dep/fnut/foodweb.htm*.

While all three databases provide educators with access to a variety of food safetyeducation resources, each has distinct features.

The **National Food Safety Database,**at the University of Florida, contains morethan 1,300 full-text documents and serves a diverse audience including academics,professional food handlers and consumers. Started in October 1995, the NFSD database is acooperative effort involving 22 academic, government and private organizations.

Browsing through the database you will find entries such as the 1995 FDA Food Code; the"1994 Revised USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning;" the University of Georgia's"Easy to Preserve" freezing and drying factsheets; and 3 food safety slideshowscontaining over 150 color slides. 

The Word Wide Web address: *http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~foodsaf/foodsaf.html*.

The **Extension Food Safety Education Database**, at Michigan State University,provides educators with a computer-based information management tool for locating foodsafety curricula and resources materials for youth and adults. 

The database catalogues more than 100 materials that address a wide range offood-related issues including--microbiological concerns, food irradiation, pesticides,environmental concerns, and biotechnology. Users access information in the database byentering key search words--for example by the target audience (youth) or the type ofmaterial (video).

The World Wide Web address:*http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/*.

This will take you to the Extension Home Page. Choose MSUE IMP Information system.Choose Extension Food Safety Education and follow the directions on the screen.

The **Foodborne Illness Educational Materials Database,**was described in theJanuary 1996 issue of the Food Safety Educator, also provides listings of foodborneillness training materials. 

The database lists over 220 videos, posters, books, brochures and curricula. It can beaccessed on the Internet by going to the Food and Nutrition Information Center's web site:*http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic* or go to a public gopher site and make the followingselections from the menus: Gopher Servers in the USA; Maryland; Food and NutritionInformation Center, USDA.
Check out the Web!
Starting this summer, World Wide Web surfers will be able to find FSIS food safetyinformation--including the Food Safety Educator--on the Internet. The FSIS Home Page willinclude a Consumer Information and Education site offering tips on safe food handling aswell as consumer education feature stories and publications.

The complete FSIS Home Page will also feature additional sites providing information ontopics such as agency inspection initiatives, news releases, and speeches.

We'll keep you informed about our Home Page progress in future issues. We'll also besharing news about other food safety resources on the Internet. If you've found some goodones, let us know. We'll pass it along.

The FSIS Home Page can be accessed at: *http://www.usda.gov/fsis*.
National Food Safety Education Month Set for September
In an effort to increase awareness, the Industry Council on Food Safety is gearing upfor the second year to designate September as National Food Safety Education Month.

The Council, organized by The Educational Foundation of the National RestaurantAssociation, is distributing a consumer publication, "Chef CookSmart's Guide to SafeFood Preparation and Handling." For a copy, call toll-free 1/800-CookSmart. Inaddition, the Council is encouraging food service operators to reach out to consumers bydistributing "Chef CookSmart's Tips." For more information on the IndustryCouncil and activities for National Food Safety Education Month, call 1/800-456-0111.
Tracking Foodborne Pathogens
As the saying goes, "To solve the problem, you have to **SEE** theproblem." In some ways, that phrase summarizes the conclusions of a recently releasedreport of a 1995 conference, *Tracking Foodborne Pathogens From Farm to Table: DataNeeds to Evaluate Control Options,* (MP-1532).

Conference participants, including scientists, food safety policymakers and economists,generally agreed that while some good data exist on foodborne pathogens, a lot remains tobe known.

The 1995 conference was co-sponsored by USDA's Economic Research Service, other USDAand government agencies and industry and academic organizations, including the Food SafetyConsortium. While conference experts noted deep gaps in data bases for foodborne disease,the report also points to "exciting opportunities to address key data gaps."Among these initiatives are efforts to collect microbial baseline data through a newsentinel county surveillance system for diarrheal diseases. 

Copies of the conference report are available for $18 and can by ordered by calling1-800-999-6779.
Food Safety for Food Service 
New in 1996 from FDA: Food Safety: An Educational Video for Institutional Food ServiceWorkers. The ten-minute video package is available for only $12.95 and targets informationto food service staff in nursing homes, day care facilities and hospitals.

The video package includes information from the 1995 Food Code and includes informationabout how to obtain other food safety resources, including those on the World Wide Web.

To order the package, contact: Duplication Department of Interface Video Systems,202/861-0500. 
How the Media Report on Food Safety and Nutrition
Most people rely on the news media for information about food safety and nutrition.Given their central role, what kind of nutrition and food safety information are the mediadelivering? 

This is the topic of a quantitative and qualitative study, titled, "Food forThought," recently completed for the International Food Information Council (IFIC)Foundation. The study's major findings show that the media seldom provide the contextneeded to understand overall nutrition recommendations in news reports about individualfoods. In addition, reports on emerging diet and health science often lacked details thatwould allow consumers to judge a study's relevance to their own diets. The study alsoshowed that local media delivered more food safety and nutrition information than nationaloutlets--although they were less likely to present and emphasize positive messages. 

The executive summary is available at no cost via the IFIC Foundation On-Line at *http://ificinfo.health.org*.The full 65 page report can be ordered for $24.95 plus $2.50 postage and handling.Contact:

International Food Information Council Foundation1100 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 430Washington, D.C. 20036 202/296-6540
Reader Response:  FAX Back: 202/720-9063 
USDA's**Food Safety Education Office** is the consumer education divisionof FSIS. Staff educators, researchers, science writers, design and marketing experts workwith scientists and officials in government, academe, and private industry to produceeducational materials. FSE has 15 years of experience showing the positive impact of theseprint, video, and teleconference efforts.

We encourage you to FAX us your comments on topics you find useful or new directions wemight explore. Fax your views to: Editor, FSE.

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**For Further Information Contact:**FSIS Food Safety Education StaffDianne Durant, EditorPhone: (202) 720-7943Fax: (202) 720-9063

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