International Food Safety Council September 1999 * National Food Safety Education MonthSM Sample Copy for Newsletter

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Promote food safety to retail food establishments by featuring news about National Food Safety Education Month^SM in newsletters published by your organization. Fill in the information in the parentheses throughout.

According to consumer research, the public is more aware of and concerned about food safety today than ever before. There has never been a more important time to focus on this important issue. That is why (Department) is participating in National Food Safety Education Month^SM and is encouraging all retail food establishments to take part.

September marks the fifth annual National Food Safety Education Month, created by the International Food Safety Council, a restaurant and foodservice industry coalition committed to food safety education. This year's theme is "Cook It Safely - It's a Matter of Degrees."

(Department) is taking part in the month-long observance to focus attention on the importance of safe food handling and preparation, with an emphasis on the key "cook it safely" message: always cook food to the proper minimum internal temperature.

"(Department) is partnering with the International Food Safety Council to encourage food safety training for retail food establishment workers nationwide," said (Department spokesperson), (title) of (Department). During September, (Department) will (describe food safety training and education activities you are sponsoring, and information you are distributing to establishments).

A second goal of National Food Safety Education Month is to build public awareness of the government and food industry's commitment to food safety. (Department) is (include information on your publicity efforts, materials you are distributing to the public, public events that you are sponsoring, and resources available to establishments to promote food safety to their customers).

On a national level, the International Food Safety Council is again mounting an extensive campaign to help promote food safety education. Chef Mary Sue Milliken and Chef Susan Feniger are co-chairs of this year's campaign.

Restaurateurs, cookbook authors, television and radio personalities, Milliken and Feniger have made their mark with home cooking of cuisine from all over the world. Hosts of Food Network's popular series Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour, together they own and operate the critically-acclaimed Border Grill in Santa Monica, Ciudad in Los Angeles, and the new Border Grill at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas (opening summer 1999). Their fifth cookbook, Mexican Cooking for Dummies, will be published later this year. Their foods are also served on United Airlines' flights to major cities in Central America and Mexico.

As part of the publicity campaign, the Council will distribute a media kit to daily newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations across the country. Last year's campaign resulted in more than 1,300 television news stories, newspaper and magazine articles on National Food Safety Education Month.

Through the awareness campaign, co-chairs Milliken and Feniger will help consumers understand the care food professionals take to provide safe food, and the importance of adopting similar procedures at home -- whether they are doing the cooking themselves or bringing home carry-out meals or restaurant leftovers.

The International Food Safety Council, a restaurant and foodservice industry coalition, was formed in 1993 by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The Council is also a founding partner of the Partnership for Food Safety Education, a coalition of industry, government and consumer organizations, which sponsors the Fight BAC!^TM nationwide education campaign to teach the public to keep food safe from bacteria.

 
^TM/SM International Food Safety Council
* Distributed August 1999 for use in September 1999 as part of the International Food Safety Council's National Food Safety Education Month.

National Food Safety Education MonthSM is sponsored by the International Food Safety Council, a restaurant and foodservice industry coalition committed to food safety education, formed by the National Restaurant Association's Educational Foundation. For more information about enrolling in the Council free of charge, call 800/456-0111.