Atlanta, GA Seven associations were recognized for more
than 10 years of participation and $2.5 million in cumulative contributions to
the nonprofit US Partnership for Food Safety Education (the Partnership) at the
2010 Food Safety Education Conference.
The associations honored are the American Egg Board (AEB), American Dietetic
Association (ADA), Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Foundation, National Chicken
Council (NCC), National Pork Board (NPB), National Turkey Federation (NTF) and
Produce Marketing Association (PMA).
The enduring commitment of these organizations, together with the federal
government and consumer advocates, has enabled the Partnership to teach millions
of Americans of all ages the essential measures to keep their food safe, said
Shelley Feist, executive director of the Partnership. They made it possible for
the Partnership to develop and launch Fight BAC!, Be Food Safe and other free
programs for public health and nutrition educators.
Partnership for Food Safety Education Campaigns
The Partnership has developed several education campaigns, including:
*Fight BAC! teaches the four core safe food handling practices: Clean hands
and surfaces often; Separate to avoid cross-contamination; Cook food to safe
internal temperatures as measured with a food thermometer; and Chill –
refrigerate foods promptly. More information is available at
www.fightbac.org.
*Be Food Safe developed by the Partnership to involve retailers in consumer
food safety education. The program complements USDAs Be Food Safe campaign.
More information is available at
www.befoodsafe.org.
Additional campaigns and materials were developed around topics including safe
produce handling, holiday food safety www.holidayfoodsafety.org and recall basics (www.recallbasics.org) for consumers. These campaigns
include consumer resources such as brochures, graphics, fact sheets, newsletters
and multimedia presentations.
The Partnership works closely to develop and disseminate campaigns with its
contributing partners and federal liaisons at the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
In a statement before food safety educators from across the country Thursday,
Feist noted the exceptional, long-term commitment and investment in preventive
health education made by the food industry associations. AEB, FMI, NCC and PMA
have participated consistently as contributing partners in each of the 14 years
since the Partnership was founded in 1997.
The Partnership is a very unique nonprofit, said Feist, Contributing members
provide the core of the Partnerships operational funding, as well as expert
voluntary service and channels for disseminating food safety messages and
materials.
Trade associations, public interest, consumer and scientific organizations with
direct involvement in securing, maintaining and promoting a safe and secure food
supply for consumers are invited to participate in the Partnership as
contributing members.
The recognition of Partnership supporters was made at an evening reception at
CNN headquarters in downtown Atlanta in conjunction with the USDA and NSF
International Food Safety Education Conference, which drew 750 attendees from
across the United States.
The nonprofit Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) unites industry
associations, professional societies in food science, nutrition and health,
consumer groups and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental
Protection Agency, and from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to educate the public about safe food handling and preparation.
The Partnership is the creator and steward of the Fight BAC! campaign, a food
safety education program developed using scientifically based recommendations
and resulting from an extensive consumer research. Fight BAC! materials are
fully accessible online at www.fightbac.org and utilized by consumers, teachers,
dietitians, public health officials and extension agents across the United
States.