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

##### Consumer Information

##### Vol. 4, No. 2 1999

## The Food Safety Educator

### A Food Safety Curriculum for Kids!

**"S**top thepresses!" exclaims Tyler, one of the star reporters for the Washburn Word SchoolNewspaper. Key basketball players and the coach have been sidelined by a mysteriousillness and now two student reporters are hot on the investigative trail.

        That’s thestart of a 20-minute video that launches a fun and fact-packed food safety curriculum forkids in grades four through six.

        The curriculum,titled "Your Game Plan for Food Safety," was produced by the Partnership forFood Safety Education and the Food Marketing Foundation as part of the Fight BAC!�campaign.

        The materials,as project manager Kelly Woods said, "are frisky. The video takes food safety and‘MTV-izes’ it."

        The result is afun learning experience with music, great visuals, experiments and activities that havebeen kid-tested.

        The curriculumcomes with the video, a two-sided color poster, "BAC!-Catchers," and ateacher’s activity and experiment guide.

        Educators canorder, and download, materials from the www.fightbac.org web site.

        In addition,educators will find a special Fight BAC!tm Teacher Web Page that will be updated to include additional ideasand experiments contributed by other teachers and BAC!-fighters across the country.

        The curriculumpackage focuses learning around the four key Fight BAC!tm messages:Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill.

        Experiments andactivities in the teachers' guide revolve around each of those four principles. Forexample with the experiments, kids learn a variety of concepts:- How microorganisms can grow
- How germs can spread through    "cross-contamination"
- How to test to see foods are thoroughly cooked.

        For oneactivity, the kids form their own "FBI" team to assess foodborne illness"perils at a picnic." Another activity guides them in doing a home survey.

        Sixty"BAC!-Catchers" are included in each curriculum package, offering kids thechance to play and learn.

        There are alsosuggestions for school-wide activities, including activities that tie intoSeptember’s National Food Safety Education Month. 
Cook It Safely!
**"C**ook itSafely--It’s a Matter of Degrees" is the theme for this year’s NationalFood Safety Education Month, which takes place in September.

        Cook is one ofthe four key messages of the education campaign called Fight BAC!tm sponsored bythe Partnership for Food Safety Education.

        Once again thisyear, the federal government is teaming up with the restaurant and foodservice industry topromote food safety educational activities throughout the month.

        **NationalFood Safety Education Month**sm wasinitiated by the restaurant and foodservice industry five years ago. Today it has become amajor food safety education event for government and consumer organizations as well as therestaurant industry.

        TheInternational Food Safety Council, a coalition of restaurant, coordinates food industryefforts and food service industry professionals committed to food safety education.

        According tothe Council, this years’ co-chairs for National Food Safety Education Month are thehosts of Food Network’s "Too Hot Tamales," and "Tamales World Tour," Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.

        TheCouncil’s food safety education materials include a consumer brochure called"Cook It Safely--It’s a Matter of Degrees" as well as a *Training andPromotion Guide* for foodservice and supermarket operators and related organizations.

        The guide has"fill-in-the-blank" promotional materials for employee newsletters, pressreleases and public service announcements. It also has logo and theme artwork, poster andemployee training materials.

        All materialsare available through the Council’s web site: www.foodsafetycouncil.org

        **ForNational Food Safety Education Month**sm this year, thefederal government has produced a Consumer Education Planning Guide packed with ideas andtools for organizing food safety education activities and events.

        The guide foreducators includes:- Suggested activities and events, including parades, walks,    and workshops.
- A sample proclamation for local officials
- Logos and artwork
- A sample press release and public service announcements for    radio. 

        The PlanningGuide also includes a reproducible Fight BAC!tm brochure which explains all fourmessages: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill.

        In addition,the guide has copies of the Fight BAC!tm brochure in Spanish and Chinese.

        Educators willbe also be happy to learn that the guide includes an updated fact sheet from USDAexplaining the different types of food thermometers, how to use them and how to calibratethem.

    To keep things fun, the guide foreducators also has a lot of activities including:  
ExperimentsA GameWord MatchA Crossword PuzzleA Coloring Page.
        The *ConsumerEducation Planning Guide* is available through the government web site: http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/september.html
Thermometers are…Hot! Hot! Hot!
**F**rom Maine toFlorida to the Colorado Rockies, grocery stores are pitching thermometers and safe cookingof hamburgers.

        Slogansinclude:- Don’t Put it on The Bun Til It’s Done!
- Do a 160!
- Color is Misleading--Use a Thermometer to do The Reading!

        With impetusfrom the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), grocery stores throughout the country arepromoting thermometer use. Their programs are innovative, community-based and tackling atough sell: encouraging consumers to use food thermometers every day, not just for specialmeals.

        **Take alook at one campaign launched by Giant Food Inc**. in January 1999 in theWashington, D.C. area. 

        Giant Food Inc.pulled out all stops in the campaign which has included full-page promotions in "TheWashington Post," radio public service announcements, articles in the in-storepromotionals, labels on ground beef packages and prominent displays by ground beef sales.The results?

        From January toApril they sold more than 24,000 thermometers and T-SticksTM.Usual yearly sales are a couple of thousand, according to Giant’s Eileen Katz.

        For MemorialDay, Giant re-tuned the campaign with a new slogan and by late June had sold more than40,000 thermometers and T-SticksTM.

        And, said Katz,"ground beef sales have been steady, which we view as a positive. Some people wereafraid that talking about safe cooking temperatures would discourage sales--it hasn’tbeen true."

        **ButGiant Food, Inc. has a lot of company promoting safe cooking temperatures.**

        In 1998 WegmansFood Markets, Inc. was one of the first grocery stores to unveil a thermometer campaign.It was a major promotional effort--which also increased beef sales. The campaign featureda label placed on their ground beef packages instructing consumers to cook to 160 degreesF. This summer Wegmans is continuing their educational programs with in-store promotionsabout safe grilling. 

        In Colorado,cooperative extension agents are teaming with area grocery stores including Safeway,Albertson’s, A&P and Kroger (City Markets) to promote thermometer use. 

        Copps Foodchain in Connecticut is exhorting customers to "Do a 160," while Big Y Foods inNew England is reminding consumers that "Color is Misleading--Use a Thermometer to doThe Reading."

        To keep themomentum going, USDA is focus-group testing newly developed materials this summerincluding a thermometer slogan and symbol. 

       "We’ll be inviting everyone to use these materials. They’ll be easy toreproduce and they’ll be fun" according to campaign coordinator Holly McPeak. 

        So stay tuned.You’ll be seeing more.
A Bit of Perspective
**I**n a March 1999 speech before the Food IndustryConferencehosted by Penn State University, Dr. Catherine Woteki, Under Secretary for Food Safety forthe U.S. Department of Agriculture, addressed the importance of integrating resources toimprove food safety. This excerpt from her speech provides an interesting perspective onthe safety of our food.

        Food safety hasemerged in recent years as a major area of consumer concern and a major area ofcongressional concern. Widespread media reports of massive contaminated food productrecalls and of foodborne illness outbreaks have perhaps contributed to a public perceptionthat the nation’s food supply may be less safe today than it was only a few decadesago.

        On one hand,that perception is not altogether accurate. While we may be reading and hearing more aboutcontaminated products and about people who get sick from eating those products, we shouldnot conclude that today’s food marketplace poses a significantly greater risk topublic health. In a world of high technology and rapid, mass communications, we simply aremore readily able in the 1990’s to identify links between contaminated products andfoodborne illnesses and quickly alert consumers, largely through the mass media. I believethe U.S. food supply remains one of the safest, if not the safest in the world.

        On the otherhand, we have plenty of reasons to remain highly conscious of food supply threats.Today’s food production and delivery system is vastly different fromyesterday’s. Food comes from all over the world. It is produced in mass quantitiesand often shipped great distances in relatively short times.

        Food is soldand prepared and cooked in a variety of ways and under a variety of circumstances. In amore fast-paced world, Americans rely more than ever before on food that can be quicklyobtained, prepared, and eaten. Add emerging new pathogens and persistent old ones to thechanging consumption habits of today’s American, and you have a food supply that isnot unsafe, but that is vulnerable.

        As UnderSecretary for the USDA agency that oversees inspection of the nation’s meat andpoultry and egg products, I am encouraged by our progress in preventing contaminated foodproducts from reaching the marketplace. Our science-based and prevention-orientedinspections system called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Systems isbeing implemented in processing plants across the country over a three-year period thatbegan in January 1998. Results from phase one indicate it is helping to reduce productcontamination and foodborne illness.

        ThePresident’s Food Safety Initiative, which is proposed for its third consecutivefunding year in FY 2000, also has contributed to a safer food supply by providing fundingfor food safety research and education, foodborne illness surveillance and coordination,inspection, and other activities critical to public health. We are making great progressin the war on unsafe food.

        To readthe entire speech, go to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/speeches/cw_penn.htm
The President's Council on Food Safety
**T**hePresident’s Council on Food Safety was created in August 1998 and charged withdeveloping a comprehensive strategic plan for federal food safety activities and makingrecommendations to the President on implementing that plan.

        USDA UnderSecretary for Food Safety Catherine Woteki is co-chair with Food and Drug AdministrationCommissioner Jane Henney of the strategic planning task force.

        The task forcewill be soliciting input on strategic goals for food safety, including education. Duringthe next year, the task force will be conducting a public dialogue on the plan beginningwith a public meeting held July 15, 1999. 

        For moreinformation on the strategic plan, and how you can comment, check the Council’s website at http://www.foodsafety.gov/presidentscouncil.html
CDC Web Sites
**The Division of Bacterialand Mycotic Diseases**, under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC),is showcasing a new look at their web site: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd

        In addition tonew graphics, Webmaster Troy Inman reports that he has tripled the content available onthe site in the past few months.

        The home pagenow includes:- Weekly Spotlight
- A site featuring Women and Children and Specific Audiences
- An A-Z listing of more than 100 health topics covering    everything from foodborne diseases to women’s health and Spanish-language    information.

        Inman says tostay tuned because he’s going to be adding more specific disease information, akids’ section, web-based training modules and more multimedia components.

        Under theDivision of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases is the **Foodborne and Diarrheal DiseasesBranch.**Their direct web link is: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/foodborn.htm  

        This web sitelinks to sources like FoodNet and PulseNet.

        Finally,another CDC web site is a "must see." That’s the site for **TheNational Center for Infectious Diseases.** The Center’s site: www.cdc.gov/ncidod

        This siteprovides access to tools like the *Emerging Infectious Disease Journal* andincludes "The Hot Zone," listing what’s new and what’s hot on thehorizon including upcoming conferences and newly published documents.

        And startingJuly 1, a whole new look to the main site: www.cdc.gov

        Check it out.
Illness Declining Says FoodNet
**F**oodNet datareleased in March 1999 show some significant drops in some types of foodborne disease.

        Between 1996and 1998, the data show a 14 percent decline in the rate of *Salmonella* infectionsand a 44 percent drop in *Salmonella* enteritidis. Date from 1997-1998 indicate a14 percent decline in the rate of infections caused by *Campylobacter*, the mostcommon bacterial foodborne pathogen in the United States.

        According tothe report, FoodNet data can be used to document the effectiveness of new food safetycontrol measures such as USDA’s Pathogen Reduction and Hazard Analysis CriticalControl Points (HACCP) rule as well as HACCP programs undertaken by the Food and DrugAdministration for seafood and other products.

        FoodNet is ajoint effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and DrugAdministration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and selected state health departments.

        The report waspublished March 12, 1999 in the *CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report*, Vol.48/No.9: http://www2.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_wk.html
Food Safety Surfing for Seniors
**T**he Food and DrugAdministration’s Food Safety Initiatives Office has teamed up with the AmericanAssociation of Retired Persons to sponsor a web site packed with information to helpseniors prevent foodborne illness.

        The web siteaddress: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/seniors.html

        As the web sitesays: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

        In this case,prevention comes with knowledge, and the site provides a wealth of information including: - **"Why seniors face more    risks."** New data from CDC show that risks start increasing at age 50. This    web page explains why immune systems may become more vulnerable with age.  
- **"What’s a senior to    eat?"** This page lists foods that seniors may want to avoid, such as raw or    unpasteurized milk or uncooked alfalfa sprouts. 
- **"To market to market:"**    provides safe shopping tips. 
- **"Four Simple Steps to    Preparing Food at Home,"** and **"Can Your Kitchen Pass the Food    Safety Test,"** provide the basics along with chart of recommended cooking    temperatures. 

        In addition toall of this, the site provides food safety tips for prepared meals and eating out.Finally--another sure to be popular segment--food safety tips for grandparents taking careof young children.
newsbriefs
 **NewPub on Listeriosis**

**T**he Food Safety andInspection Service recently released a new consumer publication on listeriosis. 

        The publicationis called "Listeriosis and Food Safety Tips." It includes updated advice forconsumers who face special risks from foodborne illness, including the elderly, pregnantwomen and newborns, and people with weakened immune systems:- Reheat until steaming hot the following    types of ready-to-eat foods: hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented and dry    sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry products. Thoroughly reheating food can    help kill any bacteria that might be present. If you cannot reheat these foods, do not eat    them.  
- Wash hands with hot soapy water after    handling these types of ready-to-eat foods. (Wash for at least 20 seconds.) Also wash    cutting boards, dishes and utensils. Thorough washing helps eliminate any bacteria that    might get on your hands, or other surfaces, from food before it's been reheated. 
- Don’t eat soft cheeses such as feta,    Brie, Camembert, blue-veined or Mexican-style cheese. You can eat hard cheese, processed    cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese or yogurt. 
- Do not drink raw, unpasteurized milk or eat    foods made from it, such as unpasteurized cheese. 
- Observe all expiration dates for perishable    items that are pre-cooked or ready-to-eat. 
- Thoroughly reheat all left-overs. 

For a copy of the entire publication, go to: www.FoodSafety.gov

**Public Health Resources**

**T**he following websites were noted as useful resources in the January/February issue of NACCHO News,published by the National Association of City and County Health Officials.

        **CDCWonder (www.cdc.gov)** an easy-to-use system thatprovides a single point of access to a variety of CDC reports, guidelines and publichealth data. Provides "almost immediate access to the experts who can assist you witha local problem," says NACCO.        

        **FedStats (www.fedstats.gov)** is a"megasite with links to over 70 US government agencies" producing statistics ofinterest to the public. 

        **WWWVirtual Library: Epidemiology (www.epibiostat.ucsf.edu/epidem/epidem.html),**developed and maintained by the University of California. A "wonderful site ...linksto everything epidemiologic."

        **Centerfor Environmental Information & Statistics (www.epa.gov/ceis/)**.Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

**Food Safety News Via Email**

**J**ust in case youmissed this service, when we mentioned it several years ago--you can get a free, dailysummary of breaking news stories via email.

        The service,called FSnet, is produced by Doug Powell at the University of Guelph in Canada. Theservice provides daily summaries of news stories concerning foodborne illness throughoutthe world. It also summarizes newly published journal articles and summaries. 

        Started in1995, the service now reaches nearly 4,000 subscribers in 50 countries. In many cases,each subscriber is a "multiplier," passing the service along to others. 

        To subscribe toFSnet, email to: [email protected].Leave the subject line blank. In the message, type:  subscribe fsnet - L first namelast name

        In addition,articles from FSnet, are now archived at Iowa State University’s Food Safety Projectweb site.It’s a great resource. Go to: www.exnet.iastate.edu/Pages/families/fs/

        For moreinformation, contact Doug Powell at 519/821-1799 or email: [email protected]

**Hand Washing Videos for Kids**

**"H**ands Down onGerms" is for kids in grades K-three. It seems Bobby is not washing his handsproperly, which is giving his hand, Digit, nightmares. Hand puppets teach Bobby that germscan’t be seen, the importance of handwashing and how to wash his hands.

        The video runs8 minutes and costs $40.

        "The Waron Germs" is for children in middle school and up. The format is a TV news show,investigating recent unexplained illnesses. The cause? Germs from unclean hands.Undercover agents from the show go into the bathroom and discover that people aren’twashing their hands properly. The video runs 9 minutes, cost $40. 

        The videos areproduced by the Public Schools Television Services in Oregon. For more information, call503/916-5838 or email: [email protected]

        For informationon these and other videos, check out the thousands of listings maintained in the databaseby the USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Center. You can access them on the web at: www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodborne/foodborn.htm

**Industry/Regulators Linked**

**W**ith a web site at www.foodsafety.gov/fstea, a new alliance ofretail/ food service and regulators is taking a step towards sharing resources,educational materials and Food Code and HACCP information.

        The alliancehas a long name but a concise purpose. The name: The Food Safety Training and EducationAlliance for Retail, Food Service, Vending, Institutions and Regulators (FSTEA).

        The purpose: toshare food safety education materials among alliance members, promote and implement theFood Code and develop multilingual communications tools.

        The site alsoincludes a calendar of upcoming events of interest to food industry, regulators andeducators.

**The Hotline has Info From A-Z**

**U**SDA’s Meatand Poultry Hotline answers questions on everything from additives in meat and poultryproducts to safe handling of "ratites"--that’s emu, ostrich, and rhea. (Nowyou know.) 

        Consumers caneven tap into the Hotline’s vast store of knowledge without calling. All they have todo is check the A-Z listing of publications available on our web site:  www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/alphapubs.htm.

        More than 80different publications are listed covering a wide variety of topics. In addition tofinding out about ratites, you check out some other not-so-usual subjects like:- Hock Locks and Other    Accoutrements
- Food Safety of Jerky
- Crossing the Border with Meat    and Poultry

        But you’llalso find publications that answer perennial questions:- Turkey Basics: Safe    Cooking, Safe Defrosting, Stuffing
- Top 10 Reasons to Handle Your    Food Safely
- Barbecue Food Safety

        So justremember, whether by phone or web, the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline has info from A-Z!

**The BAC Pagewww.fightbac.org**

**The Virtual Toolbox Has it All…And That'sJust the Beginning**

**T**he BAC! VirtualToolbox has everything a BAC!-fighter could need: press releases, feature stories, scriptsfor radio spots, pitch letters and even ideas for doing a food safety demonstration on TV.

        The firstToolbox topics are geared to summer--and new Toolboxes will be available with each newseason.

        You candownload it from the web site at www.fightbac.org  "You’ll be up and running and ready to "go out and start fightingBAC!," according to Susan Conley BAC! coordinator.

        The Toolbox isjust the first in a number of community-based materials the Fight BAC!tm campaign isdeveloping according to Conley.

        Next indevelopment is a model program for grassroots community campaigns. 

        As part of thedevelopment, Conley is working with two communities on both coasts to pilot testsaturation campaigns. 

        Informationfrom those campaigns will be used to develop the model program.

        Annapolis isthe saturation site on the east coast, San Diego on the west.

        Starting July1, "we’re going in with everything, TV spots, radio announcements, support fromlocal officials, and tons of publications," Conley said. 

        The campaignswill be evaluated with interception interviews in the campaign and control areas by theend of the summer.

        So stay tunedfor the model program--it’s on its way.

**The Puppets Are Here--And A Presenter'sGuide!**

**F**or only $15, youcan buy a 10 inch plush, bright-green hand puppet of BAC--complete with "Fight BAC!tm "printedacross the front.

        Combine thehand puppet with the *Fight BAC!tm Presenter’s Guide, and you can’t go wrong.
        Both areavailable through the BAC! store on the web site:www.fightbac.org

        The guide wasdeveloped as a teaching tool for educators working with children in kindergarten throughthird grade. The guide, which sells for $12, includes story and song scripts. poems forchildren, a fact sheet for parents, a full-color BAC! cut-out and 10 copies of afull-color game.

        And don’tforget to check the BAC! store for other items including bookmarks, coffee mugs, patches,stickers, aprons and more. 

**Chinese - French  - German  -Korean - Russian - Spanish**

**T**hese are just thefirst of many languages in which BAC materials are being made available. Comingsoon--Arabic and Japanese.

        Through theFight BAC!tm web site you can access three publications in all of theselanguages.- The basic Fight BAC! tm  brochure,    "Everyone Can Fight BAC! tm  "
- "Ten Least Wanted Foodborne Pathogens," and
- "Organisms That Can Bug You." 

**Free From CIC!**

**T**he Consumerinformation Center (CIC) has free single copies of the Fight BAC!tm brochure. Youcan order by calling tollfree to 888/878-3256 (888/8PUEBLO), or you can visit the web siteat www.pueblo.gsa.gov

**The Food Safety Educator is produced by the FoodSafety Education Staff, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department ofAgriculture.**

Please feel free to email comments or suggestions: [email protected]

*The Food Safety Educator* is a free quarterlypublication. To subscribe, send us your name and mailing address.- Email the information to: [email protected]
- Fax to 202/720-9063
- Or write,
USDA/FSIS  Food Safety Education  Room 2942 South Building  14th and Independence Ave., S.W.  Washington, D.C. 20250

****

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

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