Press Office
Food and Drug Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
FDA AND NSTA TO RELEASE NEW PROGRAM THAT USES SCIENCE TO EDUCATE STUDENTS ABOUT FOOD SAFETY

This meeting was cancelled.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year 76 million people fall sick from foodborne illness: 325,000 of them are hospitalized, and 5,000 die. In response to this public health concern, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have teamed up to create a first-of-its-kind program that uses science to teach students about food safety. Science and Our Food Supply is the largest public education program that informs middle level and high school students about all aspects of food safety, from farm to table.

At a press conference slated for September 13, representatives from the FDA and NSTA will brief reporters about the program and answer questions. Teachers and students will also demonstrate hands-on activities from the program, showcasing how pasteurization and refrigeration can make foods safe to eat and how easily bacteria can spread.

WHAT: Press conference to release Science and Our Food Supply

WHEN: September 13, 2001 @ 2 p.m.

WHERE: National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC
Holeman Lounge

WHO:
Bernard Schwetz, D.V.M., Acting Principal Deputy Commissioner, FDA
Joe Levitt, Director, Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, FDA
Carolyn Randolph, President-Elect, NSTA
Wendell Mohling, Associate Executive Director, NSTA
Ella Jay Parfitt, science teacher, Baltimore City Schools, Baltimore, MD
Bradley Staats, science teacher, New London High School, New London, WI
Middle level and high school students

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