Partnership for Food Safety Education: Resources for a Healthier Future

The Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) plays a crucial role in promoting safe food handling practices and reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. Through a network of resources and science-based messaging, the PFSE supports consumers in their efforts to maintain good health. The organization unites representatives from various sectors, including industry associations, food science and nutrition professional societies, consumer groups, and government agencies such as the USDA, CDC, and FDA.

A Quarter-Century of Commitment to Consumer Education

In 2022, the Partnership celebrated its 25th anniversary. Since its founding, PFSE has been dedicated to educating the public about the importance of safe food handling. This public-private collaboration has become a trusted source of information and resources for consumers and educators alike.

The Fight BAC! Campaign: Core Principles of Food Safety

The Partnership is the creator and steward of the Fight BAC! consumer food safety education campaign. This campaign is built upon four core, evidence-based messages:

Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.
Separate: Don't cross-contaminate.
Cook: Cook to proper temperatures.
Chill: Refrigerate promptly.

These four simple steps are the foundation of safe food handling and are essential for preventing foodborne illnesses.

Resources for Families and Educators

The PFSE offers a wide variety of free resources and downloads designed to educate consumers of all ages about food safety. These resources include:

Food Safe Families Activity Book: This activity book, recently updated with science-based lesson plans, teaches elementary school-age children about the four simple steps of food safety through games, puzzles, and other engaging activities. Friendly characters guide children through the principles of Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill, while also addressing common food safety myths. For example, the book clarifies the misconception that leftovers are safe to eat until they smell bad.
World Food Safety Day Toolkit: This toolkit, available in both English and Spanish, includes sample social media posts and images to help home cooks stay healthy while preparing food. The toolkit encourages the use of the hashtags #WorldFoodSafetyDay, #SafeRecipes and #BACFighters.
Free Webinar Series for Educators: PFSE hosts educational webinars throughout the year for public health, nutrition and food safety educators. Past topics have included food safety and nutrition, protecting older adults from foodborne illnesses, and safe food handling at large gatherings. Webinar recordings are available online.
Five Easy Tips to Help Prevent Food Poisoning (Video): This short video highlights five simple tips to help prevent food poisoning.
Home Food Safety Mythbusters: This resource debunks common food safety myths that originate from the misapplication of science, family tradition, or misinformation on social media.
Don’t Wing It: This resource provides simple poultry handling tips to help households reduce the risk of illness from common germs that can cause food poisoning, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter.
Go 40 or Below: This resource emphasizes the importance of maintaining home refrigerators at 40° F or below to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, particularly for elderly people and those who are pregnant.
Safe Produce: This resource highlights the importance of selecting and preparing fresh produce safely, as fresh fruits and vegetables may contain harmful germs that can make families sick, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.
Safe Recipe Style Guide: This guide provides the images, text and video clips needed to add food safety prompts to written recipes and cooking videos. Studies have found that consumers follow food safety instructions when they were written directly into their recipes.

Protecting Vulnerable Populations

The PFSE also focuses on protecting vulnerable populations, such as infants and older adults, from foodborne illnesses. Infants are particularly vulnerable because their immune systems aren’t developed enough to fight off foodborne bacterial infections. The PFSE offers resources and information to help parents and caregivers reduce the risk of foodborne illness for infants. Maintaining home refrigerators at 40° F or below is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness for elderly people and those who are pregnant.

The Science Behind the Messages

The PFSE's food safety messages are based on sound scientific principles. The organization provides resources that explain the science behind its recommendations, helping consumers understand why certain practices are important for preventing foodborne illness.

Contributing Partners: A Collaborative Effort

The PFSE's work is made possible by the support of its Contributing Partners. These partners include educators, industry representatives, and government agencies who work together to prevent foodborne illness, protect public health, and strengthen trust in the safety of our food. Organizations like Uber Eats, NSF, and Wayne-Sanderson Farms are among the many contributors who support the PFSE's mission.

Staying Safe During Special Events

The PFSE also provides guidance on food safety during special events, such as the Super Bowl. The organization offers resources with advice on how to use food safety practices to keep friends and family safe from food poisoning during such gatherings.

Key Reminders for Safe Cooking

The PFSE emphasizes the importance of cooking ground meats to the proper temperature. All ground meats must be cooked to 160 F, except for ground poultry, which needs to reach 165 F to keep things safe and juicy!

Consumer Food Safety Education Conference

The Consumer Food Safety Education Conference brings together experts and stakeholders in the field of food safety to share knowledge and best practices.

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