Archives for February 8, 2015

In early 2010, following substantial discussion with our current Contributing Partners and Federal liaisons, the Partnership Board of Directors launched a needs analysis process designed to identify areas where the Partnership could add the most value in efforts to educate the public about safe food handling. When we started we didn’t have the resources to “go national” with our conversation on the future of the Partnership.

This changed when our partners in the FDA, in September, 2010, supported the Partnership with a grant that allowed us to engage a great many more stakeholders and also to contract for a multi-year resource development plan so we could grow the Partnership’s operational capacity commensurate with its national mission.

I am very pleased to say that the Partnership’s Board of Directors, on June 7, approved the new national action plan after it was discussed with a leadership steering committee in late May. The plan is envisioned as a three-year plan with three primary focus areas:

1. Leading efforts to evaluate the impact of consumer food safety education;
2. Convening and supporting practitioners inside and outside government to work together to improve outcomes; and
3. Helping to tell the story of the impact thousands of food safety educators have on the health of people in their communities.

I am proud to have had the opportunity to Chair the Partnership’s Board during this exciting time. There are great challenges ahead, also, including the need for a concerted and sustained effort to raise the money necessary to allow the Partnership to execute this important leadership role.

If you are an existing contributing partner or corporate donor to the Partnership– thank you very much for your support!

If you are not yet a contributing partner or donor, I sincerely hope you will consider joining us. We will have an event in the fall with our partners to celebrate the new strategic direction. For now I just want to thank all the stakeholders who were involved in the planning process for your time and effort. It was a job extremely well done and we are grateful to you. Please stay involved as we move the new Partnership forward.

-SHELLEY FEIST, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PARTNERSHIP FOR FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION

When it comes to most produce items, there is no kill step for food safety. We enjoy raw produce and it’s good for us. All the more reason it has to be handled safely from field to fork. The industry and government have their roles to play, and the Produce Marketing Association is committed to those efforts. We work with government on food safety rules that accomplish the goals in ways that make sense for businesses.

We offer training to small growers (pathogens don’t respect company size, borders, or distance to market). We helped found and continue to support the Center for Produce Safety, which is focused exclusively on providing the produce industry and government with open access to the actionable information needed to continually enhance the safety of produce. We offer staff and member expertise on produce safety.

But the food safety continuum doesn’t stop at the retail shelf or restaurant plate. Consumers have a role to play as well. PMA has supported the Partnership for Food Safety Education since its inception in 1997 as a credible source for consumer food safety advice that is science-based and consumer-tested. The four foundational messages—clean, separate, cook, and chill—help consumers understand and incorporate safe food handling practices.

The Partnership also allowed us the opportunity to work with others to craft safe produce handling messages for consumers. Because produce doesn’t have a kill step, it’s critical that consumers understand their roles in safe produce handling. We all want to be confident in the safety of our food—from what the producers do to how retailers and foodservice operators handle food and what we can do in our own homes. Confidence about produce safety allows consumers to focus on flavor, variety and nutrition.

We’re all in this together—the food industry, the government, academia, and consumers. The Partnership for Food Safety Education not only provides consumer education, it also provides the forum for all of these groups to work together on this essential endeavor. The Partnership can gather and make visible the great efforts from local and regional food safety educators. It is a catalyst, mobilizing everyone who wants to be involved in enhancing food safety for consumers.

If the Partnership did not exist, we would need to create it. And that’s why PMA continues to support the good work the Partnership does. Consumers are an important link in the food safety chain. Teaching them to handle food safely is equally important.