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

##### Consumer Information

##### January 1996

## The Food Safety Educator

#### FSIS Presents a "Fresh" Food Safety Video for Today's Expectant Mothers 

How do you teach young pregnant women, many of whom have low literacy levels, aboutsafe food handling? FSIS is taking a novel approach by featuring rap music videos andreal-life food handling situations in a new video, *GET WITH A SAFE FOOD ATTITUDE*.The video follows four pregnant women (who make up the fictionalized rap group "The2-B Moms") as they learn about food safety and preventing foodborne illness. 

A limited number of complimentary copies of the video were distributed to state andlocal WIC offices, high schools with on-site health clinics, state health and agriculturedepartments, USDA's extension service and health organizations that represent pregnantwomen. 

*GET WITH A SAFE FOOD ATTITUDE* is intended for use in educational settings. Thevideo is suitable for viewing in a waiting room or classroom, or during one-on-onecounseling sessions. Viewers will learn about various aspects of food safety in ninesegments, each less than 5 minutes long. 

*GET WITH A SAFE FOOD ATTITUDE* can be purchased from Modern Talking Pictures for$22.00, plus applicable sales tax. To order, call Modern Talking Pictures, tollfree, at1-800-237-4599. Ask for item number 25V. - - Laura Fox 

#### Getting CDC Sanitation Videos out to MORE Daycare Centers 

Handwashing and safe diaper changing are the subject of two new CDC videos FSISrecently reproduced and distributed to a network of childcare cooperators. Handwashing isvital in childcare settings. Why? Nearly all foodborne illness, the dangerous *E. coliO157:H7* in particular, can be transmitted from person to person. These cases can besubstantially reduced through proper handwashing and sanitation. 

FSIS publications on safe food handling were distributed along with the videos,including information on the safe handling of ground meats and using the new safe handlinglabels now found on packages of meat and poultry. 

One mailing was directed to state offices administering USDA's Child and Adult CareFood Program which serve almost l/3 of the nation's children in childcare. 

An additional mailing targeted state epidemiology officers who frequently work withchildcare providers. State offices were encouraged to copy both the video andpublications. 

Additional copies of the CDC video (and a CDC handwashing poster) can be obtained from:

The Public Health Foundation, 1-800-418-7246. Order numbers: tape, VT-006; poster,VT-006PE (English) or VT-006PS (Spanish).

The National Technical Information Service, 1-800-CDC1824. Order numbers: tape, AVA19692-VNB1; poster, PB95-188199 (English) or PB95-188207 (Spanish).

The costs are approximately $20-25 for the video and $5 for the poster. - - DianneDurant

#### Callers Are Asking--About Warm Weather Cooking, Thanksgiving Turkey, Storing Chicken 

As summer turned to fall, Hotline callers continued cooking and dining al fresco, butalso began planning for cooler weather and holiday celebrations. This list of theirconcerns reflects the food safety side of last season's cooking and dining practices. 

**1. Foodborne Bacteria**. Callers are generally most familiar with and mostconcerned about*E. coli O157:H7* and *salmonella*. During summer months, *E.coli* becomes more of an issue with callers because they are serving hamburgers moreoften and often cooking them outdoors under less than ideal conditions. 

Callers ask how to tell when a hamburger is "done" enough to kill pathogensthat might be present. The tendency is to rely on meat color as the primary indicator ofdoneness, but guidance from food safety educators needs to go beyond that. Research hasshown that in some special circumstances the color of cooked ground meat is a lessreliable indicator of internal temperature than either a thermometer/temperature probereading or the color of the meat juices. For example, leaner ground beef, or ground beefproducts with added ingredients, may stay pink even when sufficiently cooked (l60 degreesF). Worse, meat stored at too-high temperatures, kept too long before use, or exposed toomuch to air can turn brown and look done before it is cooked enough to be safe. 

Solution? Consumers should check both meat and juice color before serving hamburgers,and should be encouraged to test internal temperatures of all meat and poultryproductsDincluding ground meat patties with a meat thermometer. (See"thermometer" booklet insert.) 

**2. Gearing up for Thanksgiving**. Calls began early this year on the storage andsafe preparation of turkey products. This holiday season consumers benefited from newinformation from a 1994 turkey cooking study at the University of Georgia. 

The dual-purpose study, coordinated by the National Turkey Federation with input andreview by FSIS, was designed to compare actual and recommended roasting times needed forturkeys to reach an endpoint temperature of 180 degrees F and to determine optimumplacement of conventional meat thermometers and automatic temperature indicators (e.g.,"pop-up timers"). 

Data from the study confirmed the suspicions of many cooks that today's newer breeds ofturkeys are taking less time to cook. For example, the new recommendation for a 20-24pound bird, roasted in a 325-degree oven, would be 4-1/2 to 5 hours, instead of the old5-51/2 hours. 

We know all cooking charts are simply guidelines, and factors such as initialtemperature of the bird, shielding with foil, stuffing, depth of roasting pan, and oventemperature all affect cooking time. Still, more accurate estimates of cooking time areuseful in advising consumers. With a better idea of when a meal can be served safely,consumers are less likely to serve either an underdone (unsafe) turkey or one that isovercooked, dry and tough. 

**3. "Fresh" Labels on Poultry.** In August l995, FSIS published its finalrule defining which poultry products may be labeled "fresh." Comments receivedduring rulemaking, including those from Hotline callers, clearly indicated that consumersdo not equate the term "fresh" with a product that has ever been chilled untilit is hard to the touch. (Note: Congress has withdrawn funding for enforcement of thisrule.) 

For several years, "fresh" labeling has generated considerable controversy.Hotline callers, however, have chosen not to focus on the controversy but on what it meansto them when they get their chicken home from the store. Many are hesitant, even fearful,to "refreeze" hard-chilled poultry. The belief that refreezing increases therisk of foodborne illness is one of the most common misconceptions among callers.

Any bird should be put in the freezer unless it will be cooked within l to 2 days. 

**4. Other Seasonal Issues**. Of course summer brought the usual "powerout" calls, along with questions on marinating and grilling meat and poultry, packingfood for picnics and camping trips, and keeping food for the family reunion or companypicnic safe for serving. - - Linda Bowers 

For more information about the Meat and Poultry Hotline, contact Bessie Berry,Director, at (202) 720-5025. 

#### From the National Agricultural Library Foodborne Illness Prevention Materials On-line- - by Cindy Roberts

Have you been showing the same old food safety video over and over so often everyoneknows it backwards? Or maybe your boss just informed you that you ll be doing a shorttraining session on safe food handling, and you have no idea where to start. 

Wouldn't it be nice to have a one- stop center where you could find out what trainingmaterials are out there and where to get them? 

Well, you need look no further than the USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness EducationInformation Center.TheCenter provides information about foodborne illness training materials to educators,trainers and organizations who teach food workers and consumers. 

It is part of an interagency agreement between the USDA Food Safety and InspectionService, the Food and Drug Administration and the USDA National Agricultural Library. 

My main mission has been to find out what training materials are out there, whodeveloped them and how people can get them. To handle all this information, I've created adatabase called the Foodborne Illness Educational Materials Database. It now lists over220 videos, posters, books, brochures and curricula to teach foodservice workers, retailfood workers, consumers and children about preventing foodborne illness. 

And its growing every day. While collecting this information I've been able to seewhere gaps exist and in what areas many training materials already exist. I"ll writemore about that in later issues. 

How can you access this information? The Center can be reached electronically (seebelow), or I can send you the database on disk. The database is in ASCII form and can beused with any standard word processing software such as WordPerfect or WordStar. 

Since I'm only one person, I'd prefer people contact me by e-mail, regular mail or FAXat: 

*Cindy RobertsUSDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Information CenterNational Agricultural Library10301 Baltimore Blvd., Rm. 304Beltsville, MD 20705-2351.FAX: 301-504-6409.e-mail: [email protected].*

To access the USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Information Center through theInternet, go to the Food and Nutrition Information Center's World Wide 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. 

#### Donated Food--USDA Poduces Safe Food Handling Video for Shelter and Soup KitchenWorkers 

USDA's Food Safety Education (FSE) branch is working with the American CulinaryFederation to provide safe handling instruction to food workers preparing donated foods."These foods can be a vital source of nutrition for the needy,"said FSE DirectorMarjorie Davidson, "but we need to assure the food is handled properly to preventfoodborne illness." 

The Chef and the Child Foundation (CCF), the philanthropic arm of the American CulinaryFederation, has developed a training program on the safe handling of food donated fromsources like restaurants and grocery stores. 

According to CCF Executive Director Pat Thibodeau, "The training in food safetyand sanitation is doubly important because it helps programs in shelters qualify for fooddistributed through Foodchain, a national association of food rescue programs." 

In addition, the CCF training is valuable to food service workers who can earncontinuing education credits for participation. 

The complete CCF training program includes two workbooks and two videos. Half thetraining program focuses on menu planning. The other, called "Understanding PreparedFoods," provides training on safe handling and sanitation. 

In addition, the training package will also be provided to state health departments forwork with local programs. 

To date, CCF has already distributed their training program to more than 4,000 groupsin the Foodchain network. 

For more information on the food safety training program for non-profit feeding sites,contact Pat Thibodeau, CCF Executive Director at (800) 624-9458, ext. 104. - - DianneDurant 

#### News Briefs

#### Need Information on Hepatitis? 

The Hepatitis A virus has been making news lately with a number of outbreaks--most havebeen person-to-person, not foodborne in nature. 

There is also a new FDA-approved vaccine from Smith Kline Beecham you may have readabout. The two-shot vaccine, however, in which doses are given 6 to 12 months apart, isstill expensive and no one is insisting yet that food handlers be vaccinated. 

Since food workers contaminating edible product account for a very small fraction ofoutbreaks, CDC doesn't think such a demand is necessary, according to Dr. Ian Williams,the Hepatitis branch. 

For your information, two useful publications are available free from CDCDa shortconsumer booklet called "Hepatitis A Prevention," and a longer, more technicalbooklet, by Alter et al, "The Epidemiology of Hepatitis in the United States."FAX orders to Alice Floyd, 404-639-l563. - - Mary Ann Parmley 

#### Kitchens Clean and Cleaner

Everyone likes to eat. Some people like to cook. Still, let s face it, nobody likesk.p. But in terms of preventing foodborne illness, keeping the kitchen clean fromfoodborne bacteria is critical. 

An interdisciplinary group of FSIS staff is looking at the issue of kitchen sanitationwith the goal of identifying a process consumers could follow for keeping their kitchensclean. 

The working group is also reviewing current literature and research to determine whatrecommendations FSIS should be making to consumers regarding hand washing (for how longand what types of products to use), and the use and cleaning of kitchen towels andsponges. 

If you have information on home kitchen sanitation you would like the working group toreview, please fax it (202) 720-9063, or mail it, to Laura Fox, USDA, FSIS, Food SafetyEducation Office, Room 1180-S, Washington, DC 20250. - - Laura Fox 

#### Retired Chefs Are "Cooking" With Seniors 

Did you know seniors are ten times more likely to die from foodborne illness than otherage-groups? Unfortunately, many older Americans cling to the "way they'vealways" handled and prepared food. But with the new foods in the market, new handlingand storage methods and especially with the dangerous bacteria that are emerging, olderpersons need to know that those old ways have to change. Since seniors are especiallysusceptible to foodborne illness, they need to know how to protect themselves from theserious consequences. 

To help teach older Americans ways to protect themselves, the American CulinaryFederation is working with USDA s Food Safety Education Office on a new project in whichretired chefs will visit senior centers and conduct workshops. Whether it's a cookingdemonstration with food safety information included, or simply a presentation about safehandling and preparation of food, the retired chefs' expertise can make a difference toeach of these older Americans. 

USDA will supply free food safety materials that can be distributed to those attending.Seniors can take the material home and use it for reference. 

USDA will also send each retired chef a list of the senior centers in their area. - -Liz Lapping 

#### Reader Response

**FAX Back (202) 720-9063**: USDA's Food Safety Education Branch is not yet as"Webbed and Net-ed" as it might like to be, so we can't ask you to send us ane-mail when you want to comment on the newsletter. 

We do encourage you, however, to FAX us your comments on topics you find useful, newdirections we might explore and items you don t like or find unhelpful. 

We are sincere in this, hope to hear from you and plan to use provocativecomments--both positive and negative--in future issues. 

You will get a call to make certain we've interpreted you correctly before yourcomments are used, so please include a phone number. FAX your views to: 

*Editor, FSEFAXBACK202-720-9063*

Need *E. coli* prevention information? FAX us at 202-720-9063 and request thel2-page *E. coli* booklet with advice on what causes this illness, how it spreads,protecting your children and more. 

****

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

*Educator* Menu | FSIS HomePage | USDA Home Page