Food Safety Education: How to Use this Planning Guide

Food Safety Education
FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition	September 2000^*	USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

HOW TO USE THIS PLANNING GUIDE
to celebrate National Food Safety Education Month^SM 2000

September is the National Food Safety Education Month^SM. Founded by the International Food Safety Council -- a coalition of restaurant and food industry professionals -- the month is dedicated to promoting safe food preparation and educating consumers about the importance of food safety. Consumers need to know simple steps they can take to prevent foodborne illness. One way is to Be Smart. Keep Foods Apart -- Don't Cross-Contaminate. This is the theme for this year's National Food Safety Education Month^SM.

Ideas to Promote National Food Safety Education Month^SM

Variety is the key. Activities such as food safety fairs, contests, parades, exhibits, workshops, educational fairs, supermarket tours, or educational materials translated into other languages can all help to make this September a celebration of food safety awareness. This Planning Guide is designed to provide you with the tools you can use to plan for National Food Safety Education Month^SM.

Proclaim National Food Safety Education Month^SM

Add credibility and generate media attention by encouraging your governor, mayor, or other local official to proclaim National Food Safety Education Month^SM in your state or local area. Use the sample proclamation provided and make it official!

Make Local Contacts!

Let the community know about National Food Safety Education Month. Ask the media to invite the public and cover your event. Make a difference -- this is your opportunity to educate consumers on important food safety practices. To help you, a sample press release is included for your local newspaper, as well as public service announcements to take to your local radio station, and sample logos you can use for letterhead or to personalize your own fact sheets.

Logos/Artwork

National Food Safety Education Month^SM logos can be used to develop promotional materials such as balloons, bookmarks, magnets, stickers, T-shirts, aprons, etc. Use the Be Smart. Keep Foods Apart -- Don't Cross-Contaminate message. Visit the Web site for National Food Safety Education Month^SM at: www.FoodSafety.gov/September.

Fact Sheets

Fact sheets on food safety are included for you to reproduce, such as "Separate -- Combat Cross-Contamination," and "Be Smart, Keep Foods Apart -- Don't Cross-Contaminate."

Fight BAC!^TM During National Food Safety Educational Month^SM

Fight BAC!^TM is the Partnership for Food Safety Education's national consumer-friendly public education campaign. It emphasizes four simple steps you can take to reduce the risk of foodborne illness: clean, separate, cook, and chill. BAC -- the campaign's yucky green bacteria character -- is the invisible enemy who tries his best to spread contamination wherever he goes. Watch out for him!

You can be a BAC Fighter by using the Fight BAC!^TM logo, materials, and messages developed by the Partnership for Food Safety Education to enhance your activities and promote September's theme. Easy-to-reproduce copies of the Partnership's food safety brochure -- in English, Spanish, and Chinese -- are in the Guide, so you can make copies and distribute them at your events. Also, try downloading and adding the Fight BAC!^TM logo to your stickers, bookmarks, T-shirts, caps, aprons, lunch bags, cups, balloons, and key chains. Or, order promotional pieces from the BAC Store. The Fight BAC!^TM Web site address is: www.fightbac.org

Games and Activities

Use the fun activities, game board, crossword puzzle, and coloring pages in the Guide. The Partnership for Food Safety Education has provided sample materials from two of their educational packages:

The Family Vacation Game is from the Fight BAC!^TM Presenter's Guide for grades K-3.

The experiment is from Your Game Plan for Food Safety, a Fight BAC!^TM Teacher's Activity and Experiment Guide. "Safely Separate" is a sample experiment designed for children in 4^th through 6^th grades.

Feel free to distribute these materials at your events. More information about the Partnership's products is available on the Web site at: www.fightbac.org

Additional Information For Year-Long Food Safety Activities

Additional information on food safety is included for you to reproduce, such as "Playing It Safe With Eggs," and "It's Safe to Bite When the Temperature Is Right."

Resources

Keep us at your fingertips! The Web site address for National Food Safety Education Month^SM is highlighted. Other Web sites include the FDA, FSIS, USDA/Foodborne Illness Education Center, CDC, and the Partnership For Food Safety Education (Fight BAC!^TM). Toll-free phone numbers are also available to help answer your food safety education questions.

Certificate of Appreciation

Make copies of this certificate and present it to individuals who have participated in National Food Safety Education Month^SM. Use it for special recognition of invited guests, public officials, community organizations, and other people you would like to thank.

Feedback Form

Give us your feedback! Please share your name, organization, the local events and activities you planned (including the partners who helped you), and any comments or suggestions you have. Fill out the form and fax it to: Gertie Loretta Hurley at (202) 720-9063. Or, find the form at www.FoodSafety.gov/September and e-mail the information to: fsis.outreach@usda.gov

^* Distributed August 2000 for use in September 2000 as part of the International Food Safety Council's National Food Safety Education Month.

FDA Foods | USDA FSIS | www.FoodSafety.gov

Hypertext updated by scd/ear 2000-JUL-24

Ideas to Promote National Food Safety Education MonthSM

Proclaim National Food Safety Education MonthSM