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

##### Consumer Information

##### Spring 1997

## The Food Safety Educator

#### New Partnership Promises "High-Impact" Food Safety Campaign 

A new public/private partnership is promising to do what no single public or privateentity can do alone: bring together the necessary resources to create, launch and maintaina "high-impact" safe food handling campaign.

In a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed in May, several federal agencies joinedwith consumer and food industry groups to lay the groundwork for a new consumer educationcampaign under the Partnership for Food Safety Education.

Recent survey research shows a decline in consumer knowledge about safe food handling.In addition, consumers do not appear to be acting on food safety messages that have beenused for years by both government and industry. As a result, "newly designed messagesare needed for the consumers of the 21st century," according to the announcement.

The Partnership plans on developing accurate, science-based, and consumer-orientedmessages to promote safe handling behaviors. 

The Partnership will be working to develop one overarching theme or slogan similar to"Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires." The plan calls for reproducible campaignmaterials to be ready by fall. The messages will then be distributed through the media, aswell as through each Partnership member. While distribution plans are not complete,campaign materials will ultimately be available to all interested food safety educators.(Look for more information in upcoming issues of this newsletter.)****

"Our goal is to have a national campaign that can have an impact on consumers'food handling behaviors," according to Dagmar Farr of the Food Marketing Institute,one of the Partnership members.

To develop the campaign, the Partnership has retained three major public relationsfirms: Hill and Knowlton, J. Walter Thompson and Yankelovich Partners. The agencies haveextensive experience in consumer education programs ranging from Shape Up America! to theanti-drug abuse efforts of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

To date, industry members have pledged over $500,000 toward the development andproduction of the educational campaign. They have the goal of raising $1 million the firstyear of the Partnership. The government agencies have agreed to produce materials as wellas provide technical assistance and support. 

Organizations interested in joining as a Partnership member should contact Dagmar Farr,Food Marketing Institute, 202/452-8444.

Federal participants include:- U.S. Department of Agriculture   - Food Safety and Inspection Service
  - Cooperative State, Research, Education and Extension Service 
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services   - Food and Drug Administration
  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
- U.S. Department of Education

To date, the campaign is funded by 6 industry organizations:- The American Egg Board
- The American Meat Institute
- Food Marketing Institute
- National Cattlemen's Beef Association
- Industry Council on Food Safety/National Restaurant Association 
- The Produce Marketing Association. 

Other participants include:- Safe Food Coalition
- Public Voice for Food and Health Policy 
- Consumer Federation of America
- Association of Food and Drug Officials
- Grocery Manufacturers of America
Side-bar: Rip-off section:
The new public/private partnership is only a part of new currents in food safetyeducation. The next issue of this newsletter will highlight presentations from ournational conference for food safety educators, "Changing Strategies, ChangingBehaviors."

Also: Look for news about our soon-to-be-announced electronic network connecting foodsafety educators throughout the country to U.S. government food safety information.
It’s **Summer!** Safe Food Handling Reminders From The Hotline:
Fact sheets from the specialists on USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline zero in onsafe food handling in the summer.

. **Barbecue Food Safety:** This fact sheet walks you through the steps to safe foodhandling before you barbecue (including shopping, defrosting, marinating,pre-cooking, and getting to the picnic), as well as safe grilling. 

**. Summer Food Handling:** The key fact in this fact sheet is this: in summertime,foods can quickly reach the "Danger Zone" (the temperatures between 40 degrees Fand 140 degrees F. where bacteria multiply rapidly). To keep food safe, the fact sheetreminds consumers about the importance of food safety basics. 

**.****Food Safety on the Road**.****This fact sheetgives tips on safely handling food when camping, boating, traveling in the care, or goingto the beach.

All three fact sheets--plus a graphic about summer food safety--are included as insertsin this newsletter. You can also access them through the FSIS home page at *www.usda.gov/fsis*.Or, you can dial in to our Fast Fax at 1-800-238-8281.
Handling Food Safely in the Summer More Important Than Ever
"We’ve always known foodborne illness increases during the summer,"notes Susan Conley, director of the Food Safety Education and Communications Staff."Now data from Food Net (see following article) provides graphic evidence that showscases peaking during summer months in the five sentinel site areas."

FoodNet information shows foodborne illness cases peaking during June, July and August,reaching their yearly high in July. The yearly low occurred in December. 
FoodNet ID’s Pathogens Causing Foodborne Disease
Campylobacter may be the most common pathogen causing diarrheal illness,according to the new sentinel site surveillance program known as FoodNet, launched in 1995by USDA, FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This information was released in a Report to Congress issued in March by USDA on theresults of the first year of the FSIS/CDC/FDA Sentinel Site Study--now known as FoodNet. 

FoodNet is unique because it **actively** gathers information on foodborneillness in specific sentinel sites instead of simply **passively** recordinginformation sent to CDC by health officials. 

The current report covers information gathered in five sites in California,Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota and Oregon. Sites in Maryland and New York will be addedthis year.

According to Kaye Wachsmuth, acting deputy administrator, Office of Public Health andScience at FSIS, "because the program is still relatively new, it is too early todraw conclusions about trends in relation to specific pathogens, but we may be able tostart seeing some trends this year." 

Peggy Nunnery, FSIS’s director of the Food Hazard Surveillance Division, adds that"survey information available later this year will help identify food products andconsumer behaviors that may contribute to foodborne illness. This information will be someof the most valuable the survey yields, especially to food safety educators."

While foodborne illness is estimated to cost billions of dollars each year in the U.S.,an accurate picture of both the number and causes of foodborne illness is unknown.Estimates of foodborne disease cases vary from 6 million to 81 million annually. Thecurrent sentinel site system, which may be expanded in the future, was started to improvedata on foodborne illness and measure the impact of Federal interventions.

For a copy of the report, check the FSIS home page at *www.usda.gov/fsi*s. Or,fax your request to FSIS Public Outreach at (202)720-9063.
New from USDA:
**A Citizen's Guide to Food Recovery**

"A produce wholesaler in Santa Barbara donates 30 flats of slightly softstrawberries to a local food bank.

A restaurant owner in Florida brings four unsold pizzas to a lunch program at acommunity shelter.

A member of the AmeriCorps National Service Program in Iowa recruits communityvolunteers to pick corn from an already harvested field. What do these people have incommon?

Whether you call it gleaning, food rescue, or food recovery, they are all part of agrowing community of individuals who work from day to day to make sure good food goes tothe dinner table instead of going to waste.

In the United States, we not only produce an abundance of food, we waste an enormousamount of it as well. Up to one-fifth of America's food goes to waste--in fields,commercial kitchens, markets, schools and restaurants.

Even in a society where just about everything is disposable, good food going to wasteis unacceptable. As long as any child or adult in this country is going hungry, foodrecovery will be one of my highest personal priorities as Secretary of Agriculture....

This handbook is about what you can do. It lists ways you can join this growingcommunity of volunteers. In short, it tells you how to make a daily difference in thelives and futures of hungry families across our Nation."

--Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman, excerpts from the Foreword, "ACitizens' Guide to Food Recovery."
A Quick Look At This Pub:
With this introduction, Secretary Dan Glickman presents the compelling case for foodrecovery and gleaning. The publication is a resource guide for people--both publicofficials and private citizens--interested in how to operate food recovery programs.

It describes major food recovery activities already taking place and suggests howpeople can support existing programs or start new ones. And it outlines key considerationsrelating to legal issues and food safety. 

As a case study, it looks at a USDA-sponsored AmeriCorps project that focused ongleaning.

It also includes a resource directory, including Internet information and astate-by-state breakdown of organizations involved in food recovery.

Food safety is clearly a critical issue in food recovery projects. As a result, theresource publication also includes guidelines on safe food handling prepared by the Chefand the Child Foundation, Inc. of the American Culinary Federation, Inc. These guidelinesare drawn from the organization's training program developed specifically fororganizations receiving donated foods. The training program is titled "UnderstandingPrepared Foods" and includes a video and workbook. The costs are nominal: $2.50 forthe workbook, $5 for the video, plus shipping. For more information, contact:

The Chef and the Child FoundationAmerican Culinary Federation10 San Bartola DriveSt. Augustine, FL 32086Phone (904)824-4468, Ext. 104

For copies of the "Citizen's Guide to Food Recovery," contact USDA'stoll-free hotline at 1-800-GLEANIT. The hotline also provides information about USDA fooddistribution and establishes linkages between potential food donors and communityprograms. 

The guide is also available on the Internet. You can access it by going to USDA's homepage: www.usda.gov. 
News BriefsFeds and State Officials Team Up to Provide Training
A new federal/state partnership is moving to provide training programs for sanitarianson potential health risks associated with meat and poultry products produced at retailstores and restaurants.

FSIS is teaming with the Association of Food and Drug Officials to develop a programwhich will be delivered over the next 2 years through nationwide satellite downlinksstarting May 29. These programs will then be published in stand-alone training packages.

"New technologies have made it possible for stores and restaurants to processtheir own products--instead of buying processed products from FSIS-inspected plants. Thistraining lets us share our knowledge with health officials who can provide guidance at thelocal level. 

"We want to make sure meat products are processed safely whether it’s at afederally inspected plant or your local store," according to Dan Vitiello of FSIS. 

Training will focus on: Fabrication, Curing, Smoking, Grinding, Stuffing,Cooking/Cooling, Packaging, Labeling, and HACCP.

For more information, call Dan Vitiello at (202) 690-2676 or Shirley Bohm, IllinoisPublic Health Department, (217) 785-2439.
New From CDC:
"E.coli O157:H7: What the Clinical Microbiologist shouldKnow"--This is a free video tape and booklet from the Division of Bacterial andMycotic Diseases. Call (404) 639-2206.
Don’t Get Bugged!
Now this sounds like a fun way to learn.

From the University of Nebraska’s Cooperative Extension, this is a food safetygame for people from "12 to 112." According to project developer Alice Henneman,there’s a "quiz bowl" version for use with single players at health fairsor clinics, plus a "bingo" version for use in group settings.

According to Henneman, "the great thing about this game is that it’s really adelivery system, a way of teaching about food safety so it can be updated as new pathogensor concerns come along."

The materials (which are not copyrighted) are presented on durable, high-quality cardsand are ready to be copied. "Within a half an hour of receiving the game you can beup and running and giving a presentation," says Henneman.

"In the first 6 months of distribution, more than 750 educators in 45 states haveordered the game."

It’s available for cost at $13.95 plus $2 shipping and handling.

If ordering only 1 or 2 games, payment must be included. Please make payable to"Lancaster County Cooperative Extension." Phone: (402)441-7180 or fax:(402)441-7148.

Internet address:*http://www.ianr.unl.edu/ianr/lanco/family/buggame.htm*

Email: *[email protected]*
New Lysol Pub Teaches Food Safety At Home
Lysol, working with USDA, has developed a new brochure about safe food handling athome. The brochure also includes cleaning tips including the use of sponges vs. papertowels, cutting boards, soap and water and antibacterial kitchen products.

Developed as a public service, the brochure is available through the ConsumerInformation Center. To order a single copy, write:
  Consumer Information Center   Item # 625D  Pueblo, CO 81009 Foodsafe: An Internet Discussion Group
This discussion group is sponsored by the USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness EducationInformation Center. According to the Center’s director, Cindy Roberts, "this isan online, interactive discussion group for professionals interested in food safetyissues."

Topics will include sharing resources for food safety education, dialogue on foodborneillness epidemiology and strategies for changing unsafe food preparation behaviors.Currently, 575 people are signed up as subscribers.

To subscribe, send a message to: *[email protected]*.

In the body, type: subscribe foodsafe your name<your Email address>.

OR--you can subscribe by accessing the Information Center’s world wide web siteand following the instructions: *http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodborne/foodborn.htm*.
Reader Response: FAX BACK(202)720-9063
We're interested in your comments, questions, suggestions for new topics. Jot them downand fax them in, attention: Editor, F.S.E.
F.S.E.
The Educator is produced by the Food Safety and Consumer Education Staff of FSIS. Formore than 15 years, staff educators have been working with researchers, scientists andmarketing and design experts to product educational materials including print, video andteleconferencing services.

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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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