Food safety educator

10 Pages·2001·0.86 MB·English

Historic, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.
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Volume 6, No. 4, 2001
■ Launched!
A New Education Campaign for Pregnant Women
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's receive this information from their paign. We want them to understand
Food Safety and Inspection Service medical caregiver. This research is the risks and to make it easy for them
(FSIS) is teaming up with public and the foundation of this campaign,” to provide patient information.”
private partners to provide safe food Conley said. The patient education pads can be
handling information to pregnant (See The Food Safety' Educator, requested by e-mailing; fsis.out¬
women through health care providers, Vol. 6, No. 3, 2001, pg. 9, “Pregnant reach (® usda.gov
including physicians, nurses, and Women Want to Hear From FSIS has a Web page with links to
midwives. Physicians About Listeriosis.”) many documents concerning Listeria
According to Susan Conley, direc¬ The centerpiece of the campaign monocytogenes. The site includes
tor of food safety education for FSIS, is a new patient education publica¬ links to:
pregnant women and their unborn tion, Listeriosis and Pregnancy: What • the new publication,
children face special risks from a is Your Risk? The double-sided fact • consumer research,
foodborne pathogen called Listeria sheet comes in tear-off pads, with 25 • relevant Federal Register notices,
monocytogenes. sheets each. “The medical communi¬ and
While Listeria monocytogenes is ty told us tear-off pads were the most • other government Web sites.
rare, this foodborne pathogen can convenient format for them,” Conley Go to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
cause serious illness, including mis¬ explained. OA/topics/lm.htm
carriage. The Centers for Disease More than 700,000 tear-off pads Additional information for health
Control and Prevention estimates that will be distributed to pregnant practitioners can be found in a publi¬
2,500 people become seriously ill women and the medical community cation produced collaboratively by
each year from the disease, and 1 in through the campaign. (A sample the federal government and the
5 people die. tear-sheet is included as an insert to American Medical Association. It is
Pregnant women are 20 times this newsletter.) called Diagnosis and Management of
more likely than other healthy adults FSIS developed the campaign Foodborne Illness: A Primer for
to become infected with listeriosis. In with the International Food Physicians. It can be accessed
fact, about one-third of listeriosis Information Council Foundation. through: http://www.ama-assn.org/
cases happen during pregnancy. Other partners include: the Food and ama/pub/category/3629.html •
“But our consumer research Drug Administration; the Centers for
showed us that pregnant women were Disease Control and Prevention; and ^-
not aware of these risks—and they the Association of Women’s Health,
New USDA
wanted to learn more. They told us Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.
r Un der Secreti jry ]
they wanted educational materials In the coming year, according to
that provided clear and concise infor¬ Conley, “we'll be continuing to reach [L foi ’ Food Safe sty J
mation about risks and safeguards. out to a wide variety of health practi¬ (see page 2)
And they told us they wanted to tioners with this educational cam¬
United States Department of Agriculture Dianne Durant, writer/editor Meat and Poultry Hotline: [phone]
Food Safety and Inspection Service www.fsis.usda. gov/OA/educator.htm Phone:[phone] • FAX: [phone]
■ New USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety
Department of Animal Science As a researcher and teacher in the
Research Advisory Committee and field of food safety. Dr. Murano
the Food Safety Response Team of noted that her research led her “to
the Texas Agricultural Extension investigate organisms like
Service. Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Listeria
In her statement to Congress, Dr. monocytogenes, and Salmonella, all
Murano noted that she is a native of the bad actors that have become
Havana, Cuba. Her family settled household words. My approach in
first in Puerto Rico and then Miami. this work has been to determine
Dr. Murano graduated with a B.S. where these pathogens are found, and
in Biology from Florida International to investigate safe methods that can
University. be used to control or eliminate them
“I developed a deep interest in from farm to table.”
the medical field and in public Noting the importance of sound
health, which guided me to earn an science in making decisions. Dr.
M.S. degree in Anaerobic Murano added that “I have also
Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Food observed the need for a proactive
Science from Virginia Tech. approach, one that does not react to
Dr. Elsa A. Murano was sworn in as food safety crises but rather antici¬
under secretary for food safety by pates risks.
“I have ... observed
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman “The events of September 11th
on October 2. 2001. the need for a are a reminder to all of us that we
In this position, Murano oversees need to be diligent in order to prevent
the Food Safety and Inspection proactive approach, threats to our food supply as much as
Service. humanly possible”
A supporter of food safety educa¬ one that does not Concluding, Dr. Murano said,
tion—including the Fight BAC!™ “We’re all in this together, govern¬
campaign—Dr. Murano has extensive react to food safety ment (and I mean not only those in
public and private experience in the USDA, but all other agencies that
crises but rather
field of food safety as both a manager play a role in food safety), con¬
and educator. sumers, industry, educators, and sci¬
anticipates risks.”
During the past 6 years. Dr. entists. It is only through a team
Murano held several positions with approach, working in total trans¬
Texas A&M University at College parency, and standing on the truth of
“I also developed an appreciation
Station, Texas. science that we will accomplish our
for the field of food microbiology,
Most recently she served as the goal for America of having the safest
and decided to dedicate my life to the
director of the university's Center for food supply possible.” •
study of bacteria, which, although
Food Safety. During this time she
microscopic, are capable of causing
also served on the university’s
so many cases of foodborne illness
each year in our country and
throughout the world.”
Eisa A - j-aro
2 The Food Safety Educator
■ The Three “R’s”
Responsive, Rigorous, Respect
Addressing the Food Marketing • expert advisory committees—The
Keeping America’s
Institute (FMI) in November 2001. agency will continue to seek expert
Food and Agriculture
Dr. Elsa Murano identified the three advice through two advisory commit¬
operating principles of her adminis¬ tees, the National Advisory Safe
tration. The Food Safety and Committee on Meat and Poultry
Inspection Service (FSIS). she said, Inspection and the National Advisory Safeguarding American agricul¬
“will be responsive, it will be rigor¬ Committee on Microbiological ture—and food—is one of the
ous, and it will strive to earn the Criteria for Foods. nation’s highest priorities.
respect of our stakeholders." • FSIS laboratories—“Our laborato¬ Everyone, from the highest levels
ries contribute greatly to our science- of government to food growers,
Responsive based approach,” Dr. Murano said. producers, and foodservice, is
In being responsive. Dr. Murano “They must be second to none in paying new attention to security
sees the agency as open and listening terms of their ability to meet emerg¬ issues.
to stakeholders, continuing to hold ing challenges.” All three FSIS labo¬ In her November speech to
public meetings, and seeking the ratories are expected to be certified EMI, Dr. Murano addressed
public’s input. by the International Organization for bioteiTorism. “A strong food safe¬
The other way the agency will be Standardization by the end of 2001. ty infrastructure,” she said, “with
responsive, she said, is by addressing • open to novel technologies—“We systems in place to prevent con¬
emerging food safety hazards quick¬ must also encourage the application tamination, can address hazards,
ly, pointing out that the agency is of novel technologies to food safety,” regardless of how they are intro¬
now better able to identify emerging Dr. Murano said, noting that irradia¬ duced.” FSIS, she added, “has a
long history of dealing with food
hazards through better surveillance tion has proven very effective against
emergencies, and this experience
systems as well as improved inspec¬ conventional foodbome illness. It
will serve the agency well.”
tion systems. needs to be considered, along with
To access the latest federal
other innovative methods of deconta¬
Rigorous mination. information regarding “biosecuri¬
ty.” go to: http://www.usda.gov/
Science is the only foundation for
effective food safety policy, accord¬ Respect special/biosecurity/safeguard.htm*
ing to Dr. Murano. “I am open to “We must work to deserve this
new solutions, new ways of doing label,” Dr. Murano said, “by ensuring
business, but only if they stand on that we make our decisions through
the firm foundation of science.” Dr. an open, transparent process that
Murano sees four keys to science- includes all stakeholders.
based decision making: “I challenge you to grade us on
• risk assessments—These are the these 3 “R's” as we work together.”
To read the complete speech, go
tools that allow policy makers to
to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/
identify hazards and provide a basis
speeches/speeches.htm •
for making risk management deci¬
sions. “The analyses we make must
be complete, and the models that are
generated must stand the rigor of the
peer-review process,” she said.
Volume 6. No, 4, 2001
New Progress, New Tools, New Campaign
The Food Safety and Inspection “Thermometer manufacturers are New campaign:
Service's (FSIS) campaign to pro¬ including our educational informa¬ Looking to the future, the FSIS
mote thermometer use—Thermy™— tion in their thermometer package. food safety education staff is moving
is finishing its second year with a Grocery stores are using our materi¬ the campaign into a new phase using
great progress report and new direc¬ als for their in-store displays. social marketing principles.
tions for the coming year. Thermy™ appeared in school skits Susan Conley, director of food
The campaign was launched in and shows—the momentum has been safety education for FSIS, explains,
the spring of 2000 to encourage con¬ amazing." McPeak reported. “As the next step in our campaign,
sumers to use food thermometers. we want to further target our infor¬
While many people own food ther¬ New tools for foodservice: mation to people most likely to
mometers, most only take them out Thermy™ materials are being change behavior.
of the drawer for holiday meals. modified for use by foodservice, “To refine our understanding of
According to Flolly McPeak, reflecting the temperatures con¬ this audience—and barriers to behav¬
Thermy™ coordinator, the campaign tained in the Food and Drug ior change—we are working with a
was designed to change that picture Administration's Food Code (see social marketing firm, utilizing a
and encourage cooks to use food article on page 5). demographic database, and continu¬
thermometers for everyday meals. ing focus group research."
Why? Because using a food ther¬ New tools for consumers: The next issue of The Educator
mometer is the only way to make A number of new Thermy™ will report on this research as well as
sure food has been cooked to a high materials have been made available the next generation of Thermy™^ cam¬
enough temperature to destroy harm¬ over the past year, including: paign materials. •
ful bacteria. • Thermy™ graphics
Over the past 2 years, McPeak • Spanish Thermy™ materials
reports. “We've seen tremendous • Thermy™ coloring page
interest and participation in the cam¬ • Thermy™ puzzle page for kids
paign from a wide variety of educa¬ Go to the Thenny™ Web site:
tors, including extension agents, pub¬ http://www.fsis.usda.gov/thermy/
lic health, industry, school nurses, index.htm
and teachers. They have taken the
Thermy™ character and information
everywhere imaginable, from fairs
and schools to grocery stores and
malls.
Cook food to Q sofe
internal temperoture.
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and lamb. Pork chops, ribs,
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the food IS cooked evenly.
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4 The Food Safety Educator
■ The Front Burner:
Food Safety for Foodservice
As the calendar rolls into 2002, food- • getting trained: information on
service providers will find more edu¬ state-approved food safety training
cational tools available to them for and certifications, as well as stan¬
free through a special alliance of dards and guidelines for training and
government and industry. certification; and
The Food Safety Training and • food safety funding: grants avail¬
Education Alliance (FSTEA) is able from a variety of federal agen¬
working to improve access to food cies.
safety education and training for In addition to USDA’s Food
foodservice. Safety and Inspection Service,
Its Web site (http://www.fstea.org) FSTEA member organizations are
provides a rich variety of resources: diverse and include: the Food and
• training materials: more than 40 Drug Administration, the Centers for
online training manuals as well as Disease Control and Prevention, the
signs, foreign language materials, • rules and regulations: Food and Association of Food and Drug
graphics, and clip art; Drug Administration's Food Code, Officials, the Conference for Food
• “learn from others”: success state and local food codes, and more; Protection, the Educational
stories, interviews with experts, and • directories: government agen¬ Foundation of the National
an online discussion group; cies, universities, state and local offi¬ Restaurant Association, and the
cials, state restaurant and hospitality American Culinary Federation. •
associations;
■ Thermy™: Working for Foodservice
Thermy™, the educational messenger important—to use food thermome¬
for the FSIS campaign to increase ters.”
thermometer use, is rolling up his To help get the Thermy™ for
sleeves and dipping into pot roasts foodservice message out, the USDA’s
and stews to help foodservice Food and Nutrition Service will be
employees get the temperature right introducing Thermy™ infomiation to
and “make it safe to bite!” 97,000 school foodservice managers
New for 2002, FSIS is releasing throughout the country.
educational materials—including E-mail requests to fsis.outreach®
posters and magnets—featuring usda.gov •
Thermy™ AND temperatures
required by the Food and Drug
Administration’s newly revised Food
Code for foodservice.
According to Thermy™ coordina¬
tor Holly McPeak, “Up to this point,
Thermy™ materials have been geared
to the consumer and featured safe
cooking temperatures for cooks at
home. These new materials feature
foodservice cooking temperatures—
it’s never been easier—or more
Volume 6, No. 4, 2001
news briefs
■ Food Safety Info in Spanish ■ Free! For Science
Teachers!
The Food Safety and Inspeetion http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/
Sen ice has a growing number of languages.htm With about $30 worth of supplies
materials in Spanish. And don't forget two other great found in grocery and hardware
• Basics for Handling Food sources: stores, teachers and students are
Safely—The Spanish version of this • the federal food safety Web site: ready to launch into a new world of
fact sheet is available on the Web. Go http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/ learning with a free new educational
to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ fsglang.html program called Science and the Food
oa/piibs/facts_basicos.htm • the USDA/EDA Eoodbome Supply.
You can find additional food safe¬ Illness Education Information The program includes an Emmy-
ty information in languages other Center: http://www.nal.usda.gov/ award-winning video, teachers guides
than English by going to: foodborne • for both middle and high school, and
career development information. It’s
designed to turn kids on to science,
food safety, and careers in science.
One teacher who worked with the
program said, “The kids are so excit¬
ed....The program has made a defi¬
nite impact on the kids, in the school,
and in their homes.”
■ New Harvard Study ■ New Director for FSiS
Produced jointly by the Food and
Finds Low BSE Risk Office of Public Health
Drug Administration and the
National Science Teachers
A new risk analysis conducted for D. W. Chen, M.D., M.RH. has been Association, science teachers can
the U.S. Department of Agriculture named the new director of the order this package by going to:
by the Harvard Center for Risk Human Health Sciences Division, http://www.nsta.org/professionalinfo
Analysis concludes that "the U.S. is Office of Public Health and Science, Or, you can write:
highly resistant to any introduction Eood Safety and Inspection Service. NSTA
of BSE or similiar disease. BSE is Taking over the position in Science and Our Food Supply
extremely unlikely to become estab¬ August 2001, Dr. Chen previously 1840 Wilson Blvd.
lished in the U.S." served as Director of the Division of Arlington, VA 22201-3000 •
The Harvard Center developed a Transplantation for the U.S.
simulation model to help character¬ Department of Health and Human
ize the consequences of introducing Services (HHS). That office regulates ■ Graphics Galore
BSE into the U.S. by various means. the nation’s organ and tissue trans¬
The model allowed them to predict plant system. Are you looking for graphics to use
the number of newly infected ani¬ Dr. Chen has also worked in med¬ with food safety education projects?
mals that would result from the intro¬ ical education and public health We’ve got 'em.
duction of BSE, the time course of workforce development with HHS. Check out the updated graphics
the disease following its introduc¬ Dr. Chen is an active duty from the Food Safety and Inspection
tion, and the potential for human Commissioned Officer with the U.S. Service. Go to:
exposure. Public Health Service. He is Board- http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/
To read more, go to: Certified in Preventive Medicine and image_library/index.htm
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oti/bse • a fellow of the American College of This page provides access to
Preventive Medicine. He completed graphics from Fight BAG!™,
his undergraduate studies at Harvard Thermy™, Cooking for Groups,
University, earned a Masters in National Food Safety Education
Public Health degree from the Month^"^ campaigns, and more,
Harvard School of Public Health, and including links to other graphics col¬
his medical degree from the Tufts lections.
University School of Medicine. • Have fun! •
6 The Food Safety Educator
news briefs
■ The Food Safety ■ Checking Out the Status of Kids
Educator: Index Now
On-line The well-being of America’s children Foodborne pathogens most likely
was the topic of a special issue of the to cause illness among young chil¬
Six years of The Food Safety^ Food Review published by the U.S. dren include Salmonella and
Educator's articles are now indexed Department of Agriculture’s Campylobacter.
and available on-line. Economic Research Service in 2001. The leading cause of serious ill¬
A glance at topics covered over In an article titled “Children and ness and death for young children
the past 6 years provides an interest¬ Microbial Foodborne Illness,” author was Salmonella, with infants facing
ing look at the ground we've covered Jean Buzby reports that estimated the highest risk of illness of any age
as food safety educators. Here's a costs of five foodborne illnesses in group.
quick summary: children under the age of 10 totaled The second leading cause of
• 1996: “Safe handling instruc¬ $2.3 billion—about one-third of total foodborne illness and death was
tions,” introduced on packages of costs. Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen
meat and poultry; “Children deserve added attention than can infect an unborn child
• 1997: Introducing Fight BAC!™ in the study of microbial foodborne through the mother. While Listeria is
• 1998: Special issue devoted to illness,” Buzby notes, because their rarely reported in young children, it
consumer research; risks of some foodborne illnesses are can cause spontaneous abortion and
• 1999: Fight BAC!™ food safety relatively higher than for other developmental complications for
program for kids; groups. newborns.
• 2000: The FSIS campaign to Why? One reason is that their Other articles in this special issue
encourage thermometer use— immune systems are not fully devel¬ focus on children’s diets, the prob¬
Thermy™; oped, making them more vulnerable lem of overweight children, and the
• 2001: Special issue devoted to to some foodborne illnesses. In addi¬ economic benefits of food assistance
social marketing. tion, the child’s lower weight means programs.
Take a look at the index yourself. that it takes a smaller quantity of To access the issue, go to:
Go to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ pathogens to make a child sick than a http://www.ers.usda.gov/publica-
oa/educator/index_issues.htm#6-1 • healthy adult. tions/FoodReview/may2001 •
■ EdNet Subscribers ■ Thinking Globally—Working Locally
Quadrupled
Food safety educators and communi¬ • Cooperative State Research,
The number of subscribers to EdNet, cators from across the country are Education, and Extension Service;
a monthly electronic newsletter making plans to attend Thinking U.S. Department of Health and
devoted to food safety education, has Globally—Working Locally, a confer¬ Human Services
quadrupled since 1998 to nearly ence that will help shape future edu¬ • The Food and Drug
3,336. cation programs. Administration;
The newsletter is a joint project The conference is to take place in • Centers for Disease Control and
of the USDA’s Food Safety and Orlando, Florida from Sept. 18-20, Prevention,
Inspection Service, the Food and 2002. in cooperation with the Partnership
Drug Administration, and the Centers Join us as new, innovative educa¬ for Food Safety Education.
for Disease Control and Prevention. tion programs are presented along The early registration fee for the
It contains the latest food safety with the latest epidemiological and 2-1/2 day conference is $135.
education news including new proj¬ consumer behavior research. The deadline for abstract propos¬
ects, new regulations, meetings, and The conference is being spon¬ als is March 2002.
conferences. sored by: To learn more, check out the Web
To subscribe, e-mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture site. Go to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
[email protected] • Food Safety and Inspection Orlando2002 •
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Volume 6, No. 4, 2001
■ How To Keep in Touch With
Food Safety Education Information
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yeponsonnewfooas.f.tye^ • 1 i'n“dePDC udcucc Ave.,
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yottr request to: fsis.out-
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! trv and eonsumer groups. FSIS Web site:
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' address.
On the Web
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Applied Nutrition
http://www.fsis.usda.gov
• Thermy™ Web page http://www.cfsan.fda.gov
• USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/thermv
• rights AC!™ Education Information Center
http://www.fightbac.org http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/
foodborne
• Gateway to Government Food
Safety Information • Centers for Disease Control and
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8 The Food Safety Educator