September Is Food Safety Education Month

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Shawn Stevens

          

This month marks the 15th annual National Food Safety Education Month!

The National Restaurant Association initially created National Food Safety Education Month in 1994 to enhance food safety education in the restaurant and food service industries. Today, food safety instruction is given special highlight each September by many sectors of the food industry.

This week the American Meat Institute (AMI) described its campaign aimed at educating consumers on the proper handling, cooking and storing of meat and poultry products. AMI released a 60-second radio piece nationwide, reminding consumers of the importance of meat and poultry thermometers and directing them to www.meatsafety.org. The radio piece can be heard here.

Developed by AMI, meatsafety.org offers safe handling guidelines and information on a variety of other topics such as food-borne illness statistics and food safety publications. Consumers can test their meat and poultry IQ on the site with a quiz (let’s just say I scored well). Meatsafety.org is a comprehensive site that also offers, among many other things, an overview of the U.S inspection system and AMI’s position on hot topics like antibiotics and meat myths.

AMI also built another great site, www.meatmattersinfo.org, to help consumers partner with them in food safety. Consumers can download the free brochure “Safe Handling of Meat and Poultry Products.” Further, AMI’s YouTube Channel, the Meat News Network, has many consumer-focused education videos, including video of safe handling practices.

In addition to the AMI, the following websites contain valuable materials to easily teach anyone about food safety and National Food Safety Education Month:

AMI consumer survey data indicated that only 34% of consumer respondents knew safe cooking temperatures, and only 1 in 5 consumers use a thermometer when cooking meat. These numbers are wholly unacceptable; consumers are the last line of defense against food-borne illness.

We applaud the the efforts of each of these initiatives, and remind everyone to boldly share their food safety knowledge.

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Food Safety Education

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Shawn Stevens

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."
- Goethe

In a perfect world, the possibility of becoming ill from eating food would be unheard of. Unfortunately we do not yet live in such a place.  The reality—of which most of us are well aware—is that raw animal foods are not sterile.  We live on planet that is populated with a diverse set of microscopic life forms, some of which can make us ill.  It is, therefore, crucially important that each of us understand the steps we can take to prevent ourselves and those around us from becoming sick. 

The CDC estimates that, each year, approximately 76 million people suffer from a foodborne illness. Most of these illnesses, however, are easily preventable.  By following a few simple steps, which require virtually no time or effort to implement, we can vastly reduce the risk of getting sick. In light of this, we offer the following series of links which are designed to inform and educate on the ways in which food-borne pathogens can be eradicated.  So, whether you are a consumer throwing a dinner-party, or the industrious food-worker who cares and wants to excel at work, this is for you.

Enjoy, and, as Anton Chekov once said:

"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice."
 

Basics for Handling Food Safely:
www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Basics_for_Handling_Food_Safely/index.asp

 

CDC Food Safety Homepage:
www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/

 

Cooking for Groups: A Volunteer’s Guide to Food Safety
www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Cooking_for_Groups_index/index.asp

 

FDA Food Code:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodcode.html

 

Fight Bac!:
www.fightbac.org/

 

Food Safety Hub:
www.pageflakes.com/foodsafety

 

Food Safety Research Consortium:
www.thefsrc.org/fsrc.htm

 

Food Safety for Seniors:
www.foodsafety.gov/%7Efsg/sr2.html

 

Gateway to Government Food Safety Information:
www.foodsafety.gov/

 

International Association for Food Protection:
www.foodprotection.org/main/default.asp

 

International Food Information Council:
www.ific.org/

 

National Center for Food Protection and Defense:
www.foodprotectioneducation.org/

 

NSF Food Safety Guidelines:
www.nsf.org/consumer/food_safety/fsafety_cooking.asp?program=FoodSaf

 

Thermy Campaign:
www.fsis.usda.gov/food_safety_education/thermy/index.asp

 

The Unwelcome Dinner Guest: Preventing Foodborne Illness:
www.fda.gov/fdac/reprints/dinguest.html

 

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