IFIC Foundation Marks Food Safety Education Month Theme of “Food Safety Matters”; Activities Include Webinar, Facebook Art Contest, Twitter Chat, Weekly Blog Posts
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 10, 2013 -- Most people give at least some thought to the safety of the food they eat, but fewer are knowledgeable about many of the risks involved and how to combat them, according to surveys by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation.
That’s why the IFIC Foundation is spending September—Food Safety Education Month—helping educate the public about why “Food Safety Matters.” The theme underscores how everyone, along the entire supply chain from farm to fork, has a role to play in enhancing the safety of the food and beverages we consume.
Some of the activities include:
• A webinar Sept. 19 from 2–3 p.m. Registered dietitians and dietetic technicians who take part may earn one Continuing Professional Education credit hour. Speakers will include Britanny Saunier, project and development associate at the Partnership for Food Safety Education; CiCi Williamson, food safety specialist with the Meat and Poultry Hotline at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service; and Tony Flood, IFIC’s senior director for food safety communications.
Topics will include consumer perceptions, myths, and common questions about food safety and safe food-handling. Participants can sign up https://www..gotomeeting.com/register/788780026 [here __title__ ].
• An art contest, currently underway on the IFIC Foundation’s Food Insight Facebook page. Entrants must submit original art—either a picture, a collage, an infographic, a short video or other visual artwork—explaining why “food safety matters” to them. Two entrants, whose submissions will be voted on by the public and scored by a panel of judges, will win an iPad Mini.
• A feature article in the Food Insight Newsletter, for which people can sign up on the IFIC Foundation’s website (http://www.foodinsight.org).
• Weekly blog posts at http://www.foodinsight.org/blog.aspx and daily tweets @FoodInsight about food safety.
• A Twitter chat hosted by @FoodChat (hashtag #FoodChat) from 8–10 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
“Recent IFIC Foundation surveys have shown increasing awareness and interest among consumers surrounding food safety issues and safe food-handling practices, but there continues to be room for improvement,” said Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD the IFIC Foundation’s senior vice president for nutrition and food safety.
“Our overarching messages for Food Safety Education Month are that every one of us has a stake in the safety of the foods we eat and the beverages we drink, but also that public awareness should be year-round, not just confined to the month of September.”
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The International Food Information Council Foundation is dedicated to the mission of effectively communicating science-based information on health, nutrition, and food safety for the public good. The IFIC Foundation is supported primarily by the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural industries. Visit http://www.foodinsight.org.
Matt Raymond, International Food Information Council Foundation, http://www.foodinsight.org, +1 (202) 296-6540, [email protected]
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