Fight Bac!Partnership & History
About Us
The Partnership for Food Safety Education develops and promotes effective education programs to reduce foodborne illness risk for consumers.
What We Do
The Partnership for Food Safety Education delivers trusted, science-based behavioral health messaging and a network of resources that support consumers in their efforts to reduce risk of foodborne illness. We work with an active network of 13,000 health and food safety educators – we call them BAC Fighters!- and support them by making their work more visible, collaborative, and effective. These BAC Fighters are connecting each year with an estimated 7.5 million consumers –helping them to protect their health through safe food handling and hand hygiene. See “Who is educating consumers about reducing risk of foodborne illness.” Thanks to the support of our 26 Partner Organizations and Federal Liaisons, we’re able to help millions of consumers keep top-of-mind the preventive practices that destroy or hinder the growth and spread of dangerous foodborne pathogens that can cause serious illness and even death.
- Check out the dozens of free downloads offered at fightbac.org
- Join our e-list and become a BAC Fighter!
- Become a contributing partner
PFSE History
The Partnership for Food Safety Education is the creator and steward of the Fight BAC!® campaign, a food safety education program developed using scientifically based recommendations and resulting from an extensive consumer research process.
Fight BAC!® materials are fully accessible online at www.fightbac.org and utilized by a national network of consumers, teachers, dietitians, public health officials and extension agents across the United States.
Among U.S.-based non-profit organizations the Partnership has unusual origins. In May of 1997 multiple Federal government agencies and industry and consumer leaders signed a Memorandum of Agreement pledging cooperation in the development of science-based, consumer-oriented messages to promote safe food handling practices in the United States. Original government signatories to the MOU included the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and Education.
“The Partnership for Food Safety Education and FDA, CDC, FSIS, CSREES, and ED will work together to develop one overarching theme or slogan akin to “Five a Day” or “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.” Key educational messages will be channeled through existing networks of each signator and the outlets such as the media; local, state and federal governments; public health offices; consumer-based organizations; and private sector businesses.”
In this spirit of cooperation a set of initial messages was reviewed for scientific accuracy by food safety experts and tested with consumers. The slogan “Fight BAC!®, Keep Food Safe from Bacteria” was selected, and the “core four” messages of Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill were made the cornerstone of the new national consumer outreach campaign.
The country’s leading consumer groups, food industry associations, commodity groups, and professional associations in the food sciences and nutrition are PFSE Partners.
Why We’re Successful
It’s who we are and how we work that makes the Partnership so successful:
- Our food safety messages for consumers are rooted in science.
- We convene scientific and communications experts to develop concise, actionable food safety education materials for consumers.
- We offer free resources and free webinars, and host the leading national conference for food safety educators in the United States.
The Partnership is funded by contributions, grants, and in-kind support for special projects provided by corporations, government agencies, independent foundations, and other non-profit organizations.
The Partnership is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Accountability and Transparency
The Partnership is recognized as a Guide Star Exchange Gold Participant.
Annual Reports
