ANN ARBOR, Mich. – September is National Food Safety Education Month and NSF International, a not-for-profit, public health and safety organization, is offering a variety of educational food safety tips and resources to consumers in an effort to help promote food safety awareness in the home.
“National Food Safety Education Month is a great way to raise consumer awareness about the importance of food safety to help reduce the risk of foodborne illness,” said Cheryl Luptowski, Consumer Affairs Officer at NSF. “We hope these resources will help consumers better understand the causes of foodborne illness and help them improve the way they purchase, store, handle and cook food in the home.
Consumers can also look for the NSF Mark on products for the home, such as coffee makers, cutting boards, dishwashers and cookware, which have been tested and certified to the highest standards in food safety.”
NSF’s food safety tips and resources include:
•   Focus on Five Fact Sheets and Tips:  This year’s National Food Safety Education Month theme is “Food Safety Thrives When You Focus on Five,” highlighting five key safety issues: purchasing food from unsafe sources, failing to cook food adequately, storing food at incorrect temperatures, preparing food with contaminated equipment and poor personal hygiene. NSF International (www.nsf.org) has prepared five articles that help consumers avoid these five issues:
◦   Shopping safer – special tips for those who order pre-cooked meals or food by mail order
◦   Keeping a clean kitchen – information on best kitchen practices to keep food preparation surfaces clean and sanitized
◦   Avoiding cross contamination – a few simple tips to help prevent cross contamination in your kitchen
◦   Proper food temperatures for cooking and storing – provides essential cooking and storing temperatures to protect food quality and safety
◦   Proper handwashing practices – tips on how to prevent the spread of foodborne illness
•   NSF Food Safety and Food Storage Fact Kits: These free informational materials help answer many additional questions consumers may have about food safety, including: How long before leftovers become a food safety risk? What is the proper cooking temperature for ground beef and chicken? Both food safety kits can be viewed online.
•   NSF Kitchen Safety Quiz: Consumers are invited to test their food safety knowledge by taking the NSF Kitchen Safety Challenge. Everyone who completes the quiz will be automatically entered into a drawing for a free refrigerator thermometer.
•   NSF Food Safety Expert on Twitter: NSF International’s Consumer Affairs Officer Cheryl Luptowski offers free food safety tips, answers consumer’s questions, and posts helpful articles on Twitter. You can follow her at http://twitter.com/FoodSafety_NSF.
•   Food Safety Public Service Announcements: NSF has posted several audio Public Service Announcements on its Web site that consumers and others wanting additional information on food safety can listen to.
•   Click here to listen to Peter’s Principle’s radio segment on Food Safety featuring Tom Chestnut, Vice President of NSF’s Food Safety and Quality Programs.
Additional Food Safety Information:
•   This NSF diagram illustrates how NSF helps protect and improve food safety throughout the food supply chain, from the farm to the home.
•   Visit the Partnership for Food Safety Education’s Home Food Safety Mythbusters page to get the facts about common food safety myths.
About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. NSF food safety services deliver assistance to companies in meeting Federal requirements and improving their food safety systems beyond regulation.
Companies may select from training and education, auditing, certification, product approval, and registration services. Additional services include safety audits for the water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.
