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Foodborne illness is a serious public health
threat. Each year, approximately 76 million cases of foodborne illness
occur in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those cases of foodborne illness,
more than 325,000 people are hospitalized and about 5,000 deaths occur.
Why Be Food Safe?
Preventing foodborne illness is one of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) top priorities. For more
than 100 years, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has worked with our Nation's commercial
suppliers to ensure that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and
packaged for public consumption. And because research shows that improper handling, preparation, and storage of food can
cause foodborne illness, FSIS has conducted—and is a key stakeholder in—many public education programs
to prevent foodborne illness.
What is the Be Food Safe Campaign?
USDA developed the Be Food Safe campaign in cooperation with the Partnership for Food Safety Education,
FDA,
and CDC because
research shows that Americans are aware of food safety, but they need more information to achieve and maintain
safe food handling behaviors. The Be Food Safe campaign, which is grounded in social marketing, behavior
change, and risk communications theories, is designed to provide educators with the tools to inform consumers about
foodborne illness and raise the level of awareness of the dangers associated with improper handling and undercooking
of food.
How Can You Help Others Be Food Safe?
Did you know local newspapers and news broadcasts report more news and information on food safety and nutrition
than national news outlets? Partnerships with local organizations across the country will factor greatly in the
success of this campaign. Partners like you—stakeholders in education, public health, retail, and industry
—can achieve a greater momentum for the Be Food Safe message and have a greater positive impact on consumer
behavior than one or two organizations alone.
For more information, read the complete Partner's Campaign Guide (PDF Only).
If you would like to become a Be Food Safe partner, please
contact us at BeFoodSafe@usda.gov.
Or, call the USDA
Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).
Related Information
For more information regarding the development and launch of this campaign, see also:
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Last Modified:
April 10, 2008 |
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