K-State Research and Extension

As September approaches, it is time to encourage and remind all consumers about safe food handling steps to prevent foodborne illness.

Although most healthy people will recover from a foodborne illness within a short period of time, some can develop chronic, severe, or even life-threatening health problems. In addition, some people are at a higher risk for developing foodborne illness, including pregnant women, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems (such as transplant patients and individuals with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or diabetes). To keep your family safer from food poisoning, follow these four simple steps: clean, separate, cook, and chill.

Learn more about handling food safely at https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/at-home-safe-food-handling-its-in-your-hands_MF2465.pdf.

Established by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation in 2014, Kids Eat Right Month is observed each August and focuses on the importance of healthful eating and active lifestyles for kids and families.

As you may know, children are disproportionately affected by serious foodborne illnesses. They represent half of all hospitalizations for foodborne illness in the United States each year.

These activities are perfect for talking to kids and families about food safety:

• Food Safety Coloring Pages
• Food Safety Placemats
  
• School Lunch Food Safety
• Virtual Safe Recipe Activity
• The Healthy Lunch Cookbook
• Food Safety Activity Sheets

Share these food safety tips with kids and their families to keep them safe this season and year round!

September is designated as Food Safety Education Month. How do you communicate food safety education to diverse audiences? The population in the United States is more racially and ethnically diverse today than in the past.

One step in education is using inclusive messages. The Partnership for Food Safety Education is sponsoring a webinar, on August 17, 2023, to discuss incorporating inclusive messaging and positive messaging in food safety education. This webinar will be presented by Dr. Barbara Chamberlin of New Mexico State University, Dr. Kelsey Schwarz and Sara Bresee, MPH of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. James Rogers of Consumer Reports.

The Partnership for Food Safety Education has regular webinars on many food safety topics. Recordings of those webinars can be found on their website.

For general information about Food Safety Education Month, see these resources:

• Food and Drug Administration
• Partnership for Food Safety Education
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• K-State Research and Extension Food Safety

For several years, September has been designated as Food Safety Education Month. But, in reality, food safety is important every day of every month! What are you doing to keep food safe?

Many resources for safe food handling can be found at www.ksre.k-state.edu/foodsafety/topics/index.html.  One in particular is teaching high speed handwashing! Learn how at www.youtube.com/embed/n-Iyf5eqqik.

This year has brought challenges for everyone’s health. For Food Safety Education Month, emphasizing the importance of handwashing is key for overall health, and for food safety. When should you wash your hands? Here’s some key times to remember to wash your hands.

• Before, during, and after handling food
• Before eating at home or at a restaurant
• Before and after caring for someone who is ill or touching an open wound
• After using the restroom or changing a diaper
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After handling animals, animal waster or animal food
• After taking out the garbage

Since 1994, food safety has been the focus during the month of September to increase awareness of food safety education.

Once again, Food Safety Education Month (FSEM) is highlighting many topics related to food safety for consumers and food service workers. Do you create a culture of food safety?

Register now for a FSEM webinar about new, shareable information from the Partnership for Food Safety Education at https://bit.ly/2M2QU6m.

More Fight Bac!® events can be found at www.fightbac.org/events/. For food service workers, look for FSEM resources from ServSafe® at https://bit.ly/2ffIia3.