IFIC Foundation Urges "Kanny Kitchen for Food Safety Month

Emphasizing the theme “Kanny Kitchen: Food Safety Basics for a Hectic Life,” the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation is touting the importance of food safety year-round during September’s Food Safety Education Month. The IFIC Foundation’s activities include a series of events to help educate moms, parents and everyone across the entire food chain about why food safety should matter to them.  According to the 2014 IFIC Foundation Food and Health Survey, consumers are mindful about many of their own food safety actions, but the data also show room for improvement, such as the fact that 42 percent of consumers wrongly believe that food containing salmonella bacteria cannot be made safe to eat. (Cooking meats to the proper temperature is a highly effective safe food-handling practice.)

“Few things in life are more important than the food we eat and put on the table for our families,” said Marianne Smith Edge, senior vice president of nutrition and food safety at the IFIC Foundation. “While Food Safety Education Month is in September, it’s a great opportunity to discuss why food safety is critical every month and every day.“

Our surveys show that consumers place a great deal of trust in government institutions such as the USDA and FDA to ensure food safety, so the IFIC Foundation works with them and agencies abroad to communicate accurate information that’s simple, clear, and easy to act on.”

On Sept. 17, from noon to 1:30 p.m. EDT, the IFIC Foundation will be participating in an educational webinar hosted by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Titled “Food Safety 101: Everyday Application,” it will feature consumer insights from the 2014 IFIC Foundation Food and Health Survey. The foundation will review consumer perceptions regarding food safety and examine trends in safe food-handling practices. Participation in the webinar is free and will serve as one hour of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered, may earn one CPE credit hour for attending the event. Participants should register at http://bit.ly/FSIS-IFIC-webinar.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this CPE program, participants will be able to:

Understand consumers’ current knowledge, attitudes and/or behaviors on food safety.  

Identify opportunities for applying consumer research to improve food safety communications to enhance public health.  

Dispel common myths about safe food handling.

Gain valuable insights about the USDA’s meat and poultry hotline to answer common consumer questions about safe food handling.

Enhance knowledge about credible food safety resources.

Suggested Learning Codes*:

 4000 Wellness and Public Health

 6000 Education, Training, and Counseling

 9020 Evaluation and application of research

* Please note that although learning codes are listed above for this program, you may 

use any learning code if it is applicable.

On Sept. 25, from 7-8 p.m. EDT, the IFIC Foundation is hosting a Twitter Chat, which will be moderated by Melissa Joy Dobbins (@MelissaJoyRD), a registered dietitian, mom, nutrition and food safety expert, and will be accompanied by the Partnership for Food Safety Education (@Fight_BAC). Moms, health professionals, educators, food safety experts and anyone else with an interest are encouraged to join the discussion about food safety tips for a busy lifestyle. 

You can follow the foundation on Twitter @FoodInsight.  The IFIC Foundation’s blog and Facebook and Pinterest pages also will be hubs of activity, as well as a source of the latest publications and other information about Food Safety Education Month. There will be several new blog posts throughout the month, along with practical tips to keep food safe.  

The International Food Information Council Foundation is dedicated to the mission of effectively communicating science-based information on health, nutrition and  food safety for the public good. The IFIC Foundation is supported primarily by the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural industries. Visit http://www.foodinsight.org for more information.