Washington, D.C., December 4, 2000 - BAC!, the mascot of the Fight BAC!® food safety education campaign, marched in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"The Partnership for Food Safety Education is thrilled by such exposure," said Melanie Miller, Executive Director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education, a public-private partnership dedicated to reducing the incidences of foodborne illness. "Thanksgiving is a holiday that is centered on the meal. The parade provided us with the opportunity to reach millions of consumers with our Fight BAC!® food safety messages at a time when they were thinking about preparing the holiday feast."

BAC! is the big green bacteria character that helps put a "face" on invisible foodborne bacteria. The costume has a Fight BAC!® banner on the front and the Fight BAC! food safety message quadrant - Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill - on the back. Parade spectators as well as those viewing the parade on NBC and CBS television networks saw BAC! and Thermy, USDA's food thermometer educational mascot, spread the word about food safety.

Fight BAC!® is a national consumer education campaign sponsored by the Partnership for Food Safety Education, a unique coalition of industry, government and consumer groups. The campaign is designed to teach consumers about the importance of food safety and reduce the incidence of foodborne illness. The Partnership was formed in 1997 with 10 founding partners and three government agency liaisons. Today, there are 18 active member organizations.

Photographs of BAC! in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are available upon request.