Serving safe food is a critical responsibility for maintaining quality foodservice programs and healthy environments at schools and child care facilities. Child Nutrition Programs hopes you find this newsletter of assistance when reviewing the food safety program you have at each serving site. The articles contained in this issue are: (1) A…

Objective: To examine the association of microbial contamination of the meal preparer's hands with microbial status of food and kitchen/utensil surfaces during home preparation of a "Chicken and Salad" meal. Design and Setting: Observational home food safety assessment. Before starting meal preparation, participants' hands were tested to…

Objective: A nationwide survey of teachers investigated the teaching of food hygiene in UK secondary schools. Previous studies have focused on effective strategies in consumer food hygiene training but there is little research focusing on school-based education. Design: The questionnaire was developed based on the results of in-depth interviews…

Objective: To assess risk factors for diarrheal illness among clients of a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic in Miami, FL. Design: A cross-sectional survey with questions about demographics, food safety practices, and diarrheal illness. Setting: WIC clinic operated by the Miami-Dade County Health…

Microbial foodborne illnesses are a public health problem in the United States. Americans are patronizing restaurants three or more times a week and college students are frequently employed in food service; therefore, this study assessed compliance with and awareness of food safety recommendations among 460 college students. Compliance was…

When students pack up for college, they take along the basics-- TV, laptop, MP3 player, and cell phone. Many students will arrive at school with a microwave oven, tabletop grill, mini fridge, and toaster oven in tow. Most students, however, don't know there are food safety considerations when cooking with these appliances. The USDA Meat and…

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that every year 76 million Americans get some kind of food poisoning, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and approximately 5,000 people die. A 2004 analysis by the Center for Science in the Public Interest indicates that contaminated produce is responsible for the greatest number of food-borne illnesses.…

Like food-service establishments, child nutrition programs are responsible for preserving the quality and wholesomeness of food. Proper food-handling practices prevent contamination and job-related accidents. Application of the evaluation instrument presented in this document to individual programs helps to define proper practices, assess the…

Describes procedures used to evaluate foodborne disease hazards that exist in food service establishments, lists the factors that have contributed to foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States, and presents a form that has been devised to facilitate the evaluation of these factors. (JR)

A thorough discussion of methods of evaluating the potential for transmission of foodborne pathogens and effectiveness of preventive activities are presented. (BB)

This booklet presents a nutrient approach to teaching nutrition. It contains basic nutrition information along with suggestions for translating this information to fulfill the needs of families and individuals. Topics discussed are: (1) a nutrient approach to teaching nutrition; (2) functions of nutrients; (3) how food handling affects nutrient…

The Food Safety First Program in Guam and the Marianas, sponsored in part by the United States Department of Agriculture, assesses the food safety behavior of the local population, and uses the results to develop educational programs. The thriving of bacteria in the local climate places extra importance on educating the population on the necessity…

A survey of domestic and foreign schools of veterinary medicine is analyzed, revealing a general trend toward deemphasis and/or loss of identity in teaching food safety and regulated veterinary public health subjects. It is suggested that minimal standards need to be set for curricula of U.S. schools. (Author/MLW)

A sample of child-care centers and family day-care homes in Michigan was used to identify what care providers need to know about safe food handling. Their primary concern was to become informed about what causes food to become unsafe and how to prevent foodborne illnesses. Providers preferred printed materials to tapes or workshops. (AA)

The citations in this annotated bibliography focus on hygiene and sanitation in the preparation of food and standards for food service to the public. Materials cited can be obtained through interlibrary loan through a local library or directly from the National Agricultural Library. The bibliography was derived from online searches of the AGRICOLA…