| Partnership for Food Safety Education

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

February 26, 2015

Rub a dub scrub: Pennsylvania’s Get Smart Drawing Competition Fights BAC! ® that could be on hands.

Kids’ hands are a favorite hiding place for harmful bacteria. It’s no surprise that many foodborne disease outbreaks start with contaminated hands. For kids, germs are out of sight and out of mind. They don’t think about invisible pathogens lurking on their hands before they put their fingers in their mouths, pick up a sandwich, or pass toys to classmates.

BAC Fighter Natalie Mueller of Pennsylvania’s Get Smart program has come up with a contest to make the importance of handwashing memorable to kids across the state. This Fall, kids will be asked to draw a picture that illustrates why it’s important to wash their hands.

Prompting kids to visualize germs on their hands will shed light on just why they are supposed to wash their hands. Kids can be as creative as they want; drawing germ-battling heroes or simply drawing everything they touched in day. A picture is worth a thousand words – especially a picture of all of the scary germs that might be on your hands! That’s a lesson that doesn’t fade quickly.

Rinse at your Own Risk!

February 26, 2015

BAC Fighter collaboration urges consumers to stop rinsing chicken

Dr. Jennifer Quinlan brought together a team of BAC Fighters from Drexel University and New Mexico State University to set the record straight on one hot button topic. They’re telling consumers: “Don’t Wash Your Chicken.”

To the estimated 90% of consumers still rinsing chicken, this declaration comes as a shock. Most will ask, “But why not?”

The Don’t Wash Your Chicken campaign has that question covered.

Using humorous video mini dramas, cooking demos, and photo-novellas with recipe cards, the campaign clearly conveys to consumers the reasons that they shouldn’t wash their chicken:

1) Cooking to 165° Fahrenheit kills the bacteria

2) Washing actually spreads the germs all around your kitchen

For any skeptics, the video mini dramas feature “germ-vision” overlays, giving viewers a visual of the slimy, green, germ splatters that will most likely result if they opt to rinse their poultry.

To soften the blow for many veteran rinsers, the campaign also reminds them that removing the rinse step actually makes cooking chicken easier and simpler. Changing behavior is not to so bad after all!

All of these education materialas are available and able to be downloaded at the website: http://drexel.edu/dontwashyourchicken/Videos-Photo-novellas/Overview/

Thank you Drexel University, New Mexico State University, and the USDA on this wonderful work to Fight BAC! ®

Harrisburg University of Science & Technology Promotes Food Safety

January 26, 2015

Dr. Rene Massengale and her team from Harrisburg University of Science & Technology promoted food safety at the 2011 Pennsylvania Farm show in January 2011. Dr. Massengale is a food and water quality scientist. Her research focuses on the topics of food safety and quality.

This was the Harrisburg team’s first time presenting at this very busy event; the Farm Show tends to attract over half-a-million people each year and is one of the nation’s largest indoor agriculture events.

The Harrisburg University team’s engaging and fun exhibit featured a mock kitchen with real cabinet doors and a counter top. The Partnership for Food Safety Education’s Mythbusters food safety myths were displayed on the front of the cabinet doors; the answers were revealed on the inside of the doors. They also included the Mythbusters Quiz Game in their display.