Celebrate Food Safety Week
Whether you grow, raise, transport, buy, sell or consume food, you have a role in keeping it safe. Join events and activities around the world to celebrate Food Safety Week.
This year’s theme is “Cracking the Code on Cross-Contamination”. Cross-contamination happens when harmful germs spread from one food to another.
Educate the public
September is National Food Safety Education Month, an important time to take an active role in preventing foodborne illness, also known as “food poisoning.” Consuming dangerous bacteria in uncooked foods can lead to diarrhea, vomiting and other unpleasant symptoms that may last up to 6 weeks. Some people are more likely to become sick from contaminated food, such as the elderly, children and those with compromised immune systems.
Promote food safety in the community by sharing key messages on social media and your website, or send them to local news outlets. CDC has free resources available for all audiences, including posters, a sample media release and quizzes.
Invite guest speakers on food safety issues to your school, university or community and hold a discussion with them. Poster or photography competitions are also popular activities in schools, universities and communities to raise awareness on the subject and encourage participants to visualize what they learn to pass the message.
Educate the workforce
As September marks National Food Safety Education Month, ServSafe reminds restaurant employees that it’s everyone’s responsibility to keep customers safe. Each week of the month, ServSafe releases downloadable activity sheets and posters that can be used to educate staff at all levels about their role in keeping customers safe.
For example, employees should know how to properly prepare and store foods that may come in from a supplier, the importance of maintaining proper temperatures during transportation, and how to recognize severe symptoms that should warrant a visit to the doctor – such as fever over 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, bloody diarrhea lasting more than three days or signs of dehydration.
Employees also need to understand how their personal hygiene practices impact food safety, such as washing hands often and covering any open wounds or abrasions. This is particularly important in the face of a health inspection, when nerves may be on edge. The good news is that it’s not too late to start a culture of food safety in your restaurant.
Educate the students
There are a number of ways that teachers can use to educate students about food safety. For example, they can conduct a survey or run a quiz. They can also organize a visit to a local garden or farm to encourage children to ask questions about farming practices. They can also organise a video interview or an online chat with an expert on the topic of food safety.
These tools can be used to engage students in the classroom, and are a great way to promote World Food Safety Day. Educators can also create and display posters to encourage safe food practices. For example, they can try this vibrant hygiene display poster or these dot-to-dot sheets that can be coloured and decorated.
These materials will help students understand how the chain of food safety starts at the farm and ends on their dinner plate. They can also learn about the importance of washing hands and separating raw and cooked foods.
Educate the community
Whether they grow, process, distribute, store or sell food, everyone has an important role to play in making sure that the food we consume remains safe. This is achieved by complying with global food standards set by regional or international bodies such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Every year, 48 million Americans get sick and 128,000 are hospitalized from eating contaminated food. Proper food handling techniques can prevent these illnesses and help protect our communities.
This food safety week, ServSafe is promoting tips to help people practice these essential food safety rules. These tips include washing hands, cooking and holding foods at the right temperatures, avoiding cross-contamination, and using proper sanitation techniques in the kitchen. In addition, ServSafe is releasing food safety resources to assist restaurants in educating their employees on these important practices. These resources can be found online and in the form of posters, ebooks and checklists. The resources are available to restaurant owners, managers, environmental health professionals and public health departments.