Food Safety Extension Programs for Consumers
Answering Food Safety Questions. Many county extension educators specializing in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) spend the greatest percentage of their food safety activities answering specific questions from consumers. Consumers recognize and respect extension educators as a reliable source of food safety and food preservation information. Annually, within the state, FCS extension educators answer thousands of questions on how to safely handle, store, and preserve food.
Master Food Safety Advisor Program. FCS county extension educators teach a 30-hour, intensive class on food safety and food preservation to interested consumers. Participants who pass a 50-question written and oral test qualify to become Master Food Preservers/Food Safety Advisors. These MFSA volunteers assist in delivering food safety information to the general public by answering questions in extension offices, manning booths at county and health fairs, and teaching classes at churches, libraries and other community locations. This program has existed for over 30 years.
Ready, Set, Food Safe is a curriculum for teaching food service food safety to Idaho high school students. It was developed in 2002 and updated in 2010. The curriculum provides 26 suggested and optional learning activities to reinforce concepts.
Germ City is a portable, interactive educational exhibit designed to enhance awareness and improve effectiveness and frequency of hand washing by children and adults. Every year
Germ City programs are delivered at many Idaho events including schools, health fairs, county fairs, and other venues. A USDA grant,
The Germ City Program: Clean Hands, Healthy People, with 5 state participants, provided funds to support program development in Idaho. (The program name comes from the concept that there is an unseen "germ city" on peoples' hands.) For materials go to the
Germ City website.
Advancing Accurate Consumer Use of Instant-read Food Thermometers through Grocery Stores and Women, Infants and Children Program is a USDA funded project to educate and motivate consumers to use a thermometer when cooking hamburger patties. The long-term goal is to reduce the incidence of food borne illness (particularly
E. coli 0157:H7 infections) by increasing the number of consumers who routinely use food thermometers. Materials on how and why to use a food thermometer include a consumer video (15 minutes), a brochure, and three recipe cards—all using the theme "160°F for Your Family."
www.uidaho.edu/thermometers
Targeting Food Safety Exhibit. The purpose of these ready-to-go, interactive exhibits (posters, spin wheel, game show presenter software, and handouts) is to assist Educators in providing reliable, research-based consumer food safety information to participants at resource and health fairs, county fairs, libraries, community centers and other venues where poster displays are appropriate. www.agls.uidaho.edu/foodsafety
For the Food Industry
Food Technology Center is a multi-use facility where Idaho individuals and food companies can receive comprehensive business, technical and education assistance to develop or improve their food business. More information is available at
www.ag.uidaho.edu/ftc.
HACCP Training for Food Industry Personnel. Jeff Kronenberg, Food Processing Specialist, delivers practical HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) and practical food safety training to Idaho food processors. He also provides technical on site assistance to food processors. More information is available at
www.techhelp.org, check on Food Processing."