The Food Safety Unit 

2004-2005 Annual Report 

The Unit 

• Brenda Halbrook – 

Director 

• Marion Hinners – Food 

Safety Specialist 

• Margaret Venuto – 

Epidemiologist 

• Audrina Lange – Food 

Safety Specialist 

• Carmen Nordlund – 

Secretary 

Vision: 

To eliminate all food 

safety hazards in 

foods provided 

through the USDA 

nutrition assistance 

programs.

Mission: 

To increase 

awareness, visibility, 

and impact of food 

safety on USDA 

nutrition assistance 

programs and assure 

that FNS programs 

are represented in 

the wider federal and 

State food safety 

community. 

INTRODUCTION 

The Food Safety Unit (FSU) was established in November 2004 to serve as a 

focal point for cross-agency food safety initiatives at the Food and Nutrition 

Service (FNS) and to emphasize the Department’s commitment to food safety 

and food safety education for operators and recipients of FNS nutrition 

assistance programs. 

VISION, MISSION, and GOALS 

The FSU created vision and mission statements supportive of making food 

safety an integral part of FNS nutrition assistance programs. This 

document outlines the variety of activities and initiatives of the FSU from 

November 2004 to January 2006 that achieve these goals: 

• Primary Goal: Provide food safety education to FNS constituents and 

manage commodity food safety issues. 

Highlights of this Report 

 Food safety education founded on data collection and 

analysis 

3⁄4 Created databases on school foodborne illness and 

commodity food problems of public health concern

 Innovative initiatives in the past 15 months: 

3⁄4 Rapid alert and notification system 

3⁄4 School food safety programs based on Hazard 

Analysis and Critical Control Point principles 

3⁄4 Food defense (or Bioterrorism) training and tools 

for FNS nutrition assistance programs 

 Partnering with USDA agencies and other private and 

governmental agencies to promote food safety in FNS 

nutrition assistance programs 

 FSU and FNS gained credible standing and recognition at 

the national level in food safety
2 

The FSU has a website 

on the FNS Home Page 

and a mailbox at: 

foodsafety@fns.usda.gov 

DATA INFORM FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION 

ACTIVITIES 

The FNS FSU monitors and ensures the safety of food distributed to schools 

and provides food safety education on topics relevant to school foodservice 

settings. Data are gathered that highlight patterns and trends unique to school 

settings. Incidence and prevalence patterns in school settings are gathered 

from both Agency and national surveillance systems. Key data sources 

include the Complaint Component of the FNS Electronic Commodity 

Ordering System (ECOS), FSIS Consumer Complaint Monitoring System 

(CCMS), CDC’s Electronic Foodborne Outbreak Reporting Systems (eFORS), 

and CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet). 

Data analyses include examination of characteristics of foodborne disease in 

school settings; magnitude/number of cases and outbreaks by foodborne 

pathogen/etiology/illnesses; implicated foods or food vehicles; and spatial and 

temporal (GIS) relationships. 

With these tools, targeted food safety education materials can be developed for 

school foodservice personnel, to increase greater public and media awareness, 

influence policy decisions, and coincide with the food safety goals of Healthy 

People 2010. 

 

FOOD SAFETY DATA and USDA DONATED 

COMMODITIES 

ECOS Complaint Information (Data) Flow

FSU INCIDENT DBASE

CCMS ECOS

Data Collection and 

Analysis

State or School Authority 

Submits School Complaint

FNS FSU Incident 

Database:

Analysis, Pattern 

Identification, 

Trend Predictions

Targeted Food 

Safety Education 

Messages and 

Information, 

Commodity 

Specification 

Revisions and 

Program 

Initiatives

EFORS 

(Fall 2005)
3 

The flowchart on the previous page shows which agencies monitor food safety 

complaints; how information is shared among agencies; the action taken by 

each entity; data analyses and interpretation, and ultimately the production of 

targeted food safety education information and messages. 

When a food safety problem affects USDA commodities, the FSU manages all 

hold and recall activities and must collaborate with regulatory agencies, FDA 

and FSIS, and the procurement agencies, Agricultural Marketing Service and 

Farm Service Agency. 

Rapid Alert and Notification System

The FSU identified a need and initiated the Rapid Alert (RAS), which is an 

integral part of ECOS that allows electronic tracking and two-way 

communication with States and recipient agencies. With RAS, FNS can send 

emergency food safety information, such as hold and recall announcements to 

States. Eventually, RAS will reach the school level and the FSU will receive 

confirmation that the recalled food was sequestered and removed from school 

foodservice. Ultimately, the two-way web-based RAS will allow local school 

food service authorities to communicate a food safety problem or concern to 

headquarters, thereby serving as a potential sentinel source of information 

regarding the overall safety of the food supply. 

DATA ANALYSES, GRAPHS, AND INTERPRETATION 

Graph 1. Monthly Trendline Based on the Number of Complaints. This 

bar graph represents the number complaints by month over a specific 

timeframe that serves as an historical baseline for prediction of the number of 

complaints in the future. These data are useful in observing seasonal variation 

and patterns to determine which months tend to be most frequently associated 

with potential food safety issues. These data also can provide clues as to what 

food safety education gaps exist. This information can indicate what 

association there may be between seasons, or times of the year, and potential 

food safety issues, thus indicating when and on what subjects, food safety 

education efforts are most needed. As more data are gathered, these 

relationships will become apparent. 
4 

MONTHLY TRENDLINE

6

10

13

7

17

25

11

21

16

1

11

6

23

18

13

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

October 2004

November 2004

December 2004

January 2005

February 2005

March 2005

April 2005

May 2005

June 2005

July 2005

August 2005

September 2005

October 2005

November 2005

December 2005

January 2006

February 2006

Month and Year

No. of Complaints

Graph 1 

Graph 2. Complaints Based on Commodity. The bar chart below 

represents the number of complaints based on specific commodity. Note that 

the highest number of complaints is associated with commodity fruit (39), 

while the lowest number of complaints is associated with commodity fish (6). 

These data are useful in determining which commodities are most associated 

with actual or potential food safety issues. 

Graph 3. Number of Complaints Based on Problem Category. This bar 

chart represents the number of complaints based on the problem category or 

the food safety trigger for potential food safety issues. Note that the highest 

number of complaints is associated with Foreign Material in Product (114 

GRAPH 2: COMPLAINTS BASED ON COMMODITY

Fish, 6

Legumes, 8

Misc, 16

Dairy, 18

Vegetable, 28

Meat, 31

Poultry, 36

Fruit, 39

0 10 20 30 40 50

1

Commodity

No. of Complaints

Fruit

Poultry

Meat

Vegetable

Dairy

Misc

Legumes

Fish

Fruit 39

Poultry 36

Meat 31

Vegetable 28

Dairy 18

Misc 16

Legumes 8

Fish 6

1
5 

complaints) and the lowest number of complaints is associated with Cooking 

and Preparation (11 complaints). Reported illnesses and injuries were even 

lower and there were no allergic reactions. The proportion of complaints are 

expressed as percentages of complaints based on the specific details of a 

problem category or the food safety trigger of a potential food safety issue. 

Note that the highest number of complaints is associated with Bones (21%) 

followed by Metal/Machine Parts (19%) and Insects/Insect Parts (12%). 

These percentages represent a cumulative count of isolated incidents that 

involves any foreign material in product. These data are useful in determining 

recurring complaints involving foreign material in product. 

FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION 

Providing food safety education to program operators and recipients requires 

partnerships with many agencies and organizations, such as the Food Safety 

and Inspection Service (FSIS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC), the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI), and the 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Two major education initiatives 

during 2005 were the development of: 

• Guidance for School Food Authorities on School Food Safety 

Programs Based on HACCP Principles and 

• Food defense awareness training 

Guidance on School Food Safety Programs based on HACCP Principles 

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires that all 

schools participating in the National School Lunch (NSLP) and School 

Breakfast (SBP) programs have a food safety program based on Hazard 

Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. The FSU facilitated the 

GRAPH 3: PROBLEM CATEGORY

Foreign Material in

Product

114 Quality of Product Issues

105

Poor Packaging

83

Cooking or Preparation

11

Reported Injuries

4 Reported Illnesses

3 Allergic Reaction

0 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1

No. of Complaint Issues

Complaint Issues Foreign Material in Product

Quality of Product Issues

Poor Packaging

Cooking or Preparation

Reported Injuries

Reported Illnesses

Allergic Reaction

Bones 

21% 

Metal/ 

Machine 

Parts 

19% 

Insects/ 

Insect 

Parts 

12% 
6 

FNS Food Defense 

Training Sites 

• Dallas, TX 

• Atlanta, GA 

• Alameda, CA 

• Philadelphia, PA 

• Boston, MA 

• Boulder, CO 

• Chicago, IL 

• Washington, DC

Food Safety 

Education Partners 

development for the FNS Child Nutrition Division of the “Guidance for 

School Food Authorities: Developing a School Food Safety Program Based on 

the Process Approach to HACCP Principles,” which was issued in June, 2005 

and is posted on the FNS web site: 

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/CNlabeling/Food-Safety/HACCPGuidance.pdf 

FSU worked with FDA to adapt the Process Approach to HACCP as the basis 

for the guidance, which was developed with input from a comprehensive 

group of stakeholders for school meals including: School Food Authorities, 

State Departments of Education, State and local health departments, FSIS, 

FDA, CDC, NFSMI, the School Nutrition Association and the National 

Environmental Health Association. 

Food Defense

FNS conducted food defense training for FNS-specific program operators in 8 

locations around the country and at three subsequent FNS Regional Office 

meetings. State and local nutrition assistance program operators learned how 

their organizations could be a target of bioterrorism, and why it is necessary to 

develop a plan to prevent and/or successfully respond to an attack. In addition, 

the FNS guidance document, “A Biosecurity Checklist for School Foodservice 

Programs,” assists schools in developing a food defense management plan. 

The FSU also collaborates with the USDA Office of Homeland Security by 

participating in the Strategic Partnership Program on Agroterrorism (SPPA) 

initiative with the FSIS, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the 

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), state agencies and private industry. The 

purpose of SPPA is to develop mitigation strategies to reduce the threat of, or 

prevent a bioterrorism attack on, the nation’s food supply by identifying 

vulnerabilities in the agricultural sector. FSU participated in an assessment of 

a central kitchen in North Carolina that will result in a comprehensive report 

on key vulnerabilities and potential mitigation strategies to defend against 

agroterrorism in school food service operations. 

 

RECOGNITION AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL – 

LIAISON and OUTREACH 

Over the last 15 months, the FSU established a credible reputation that 

resulted in invitations to speak at national and state conferences and meetings. 

FNS food safety activities rose from internal Agency recognition to intra- and 

inter-departmental levels and to the national level of the food safety 

community. 

• Member - Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Sciences Food 

Forum 

• Member - FSIS Foodborne Disease Investigations Branch extramural team 

• Member - Nutrition and Food Safety Education Task Group (hosted by the 

International Food Information Council) 
7 

• NFSMI 

• CDC 

• FSIS 

• FDA 

• AMS 

• Member - FDA Healthy People 2010 committee on food safety 

• Member - Interagency Risk Assessment Consortium 

• Member - USDA Food Safety Risk Assessment Committee 

• Chair - National Coalition for Food Safe Schools 

• Member - Conference for Food Protection Council II (Administration, 

Education and Certification) 

• Member - Conference for Food Protection Council 1 Food Recovery/Food 

Defense Committee 

• Member - Federal Food Safety Coalition (FFSC) and Chair of the FFSC 

Training Subcommittee 

• Member of the CDC FoodNet Interventions Work Group 

• Founding member of a Food Safety Subsection of the Food and Nutrition 

Section of the American Public Health Association 

• Strategic Partnership Program Agroterrorism (SPPA) Initiative - Partner 

• Member - ESRI Federal GIS User Group 

• Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) - Partner 

PRESENTATIONS 

• November 2004, Accepted speaker - American Public Health Association 

National Conference 

• November 2004, Invited speaker* - Capital Area Food Protection 

Association quarterly meeting 

• November 2004, Invited speaker* - Maryland’s Montgomery County 

Public School’s training for 600 school food service staff 

• April 2005, Invited speaker* - ACDA Meeting 

• April 2005, Invited speaker* - CSFP Conference 

• June 2005, Invited speaker* - National Environmental Health Association 

Conference 

• July 2005, Accepted speaker - School Nutrition Association Annual 

Conference 

• July 2005, Invited speaker* - Society for Nutrition Education National 

Conference, July 2005 

• August 2005, Accepted speaker - International Association for Food 

Protection 

• September 2005, Accepted speaker - FNS National Nutrition Education 

Conference 

• Food Defense Training 2004 – 2005, 8 locations nationwide 

• 2005 Regional Office Meetings, Invited speaker*: MWRO, NERO, 

MPRO, MARO 

• December 2005, Invited speaker* - SNA Biannual State Directors’ 

Meeting 

* Indicates organizations that asked the FSU to provide a speaker for the 

meeting. 
8 

FUTURE DIRECTIONS • Proactive approach to food safety in the National School Lunch 

Program and other FNS nutrition assistance programs 

• Lead on constituent education on avian influenza and any ensuing 

human-to-human pandemic 

• GIS analyses and event mapping of complaints by commodities, 

distribution sites, schools, vendors, season or time of the year, 

processing/manufacturing plant, state/region, current events (natural 

disaster, environmental issues, etc.), establishment/school/central 

kitchen). 

• Conduct a needs assessment based on trend analyses of complaints in 

order to determine food safety education gaps. 

• Periodic review of complaint data to prompt any necessary discussions 

with the procurement agency(ies). 

• School food safety program ‘how-to’ video 

• Develop food safety training to address risk areas and how to elicit 

behavior change 

• Develop a best practices document for a school food safety program 

• Analyze data on the impact of certified food safety managers 

• Develop and conduct food defense table top exercises for State 

agencies and School Food Authorities 

• Partner with ACDA and FERN laboratories to integrate school food 

safety/defense into emergency preparedness plans 

• Integrate school food defense and the new school food safety program 

requirements with the Food Safe Schools Action Guide team approach 

• Investigate the potential use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) 

technology and tracking and launch pilot project involving warehouse 

facilities and do a feasibility study on a select number of sites for fullscale implementation.