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The Challenge of Communicating Food Safety Risks to Schools

The Challenge of Communicating Food Safety Risks to Schools. Stephanie Mickelson, MHS Office of Food Safety USDA Food and Nutrition Service June 14, 2012 . USDA Food and Nutrition Service . The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS):

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The Challenge of Communicating Food Safety Risks to Schools

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  1. The Challenge of Communicating Food Safety Risks to Schools Stephanie Mickelson, MHS Office of Food Safety USDA Food and Nutrition Service June 14, 2012

  2. USDA Food and Nutrition Service The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS): Provides children and low-income people access to food, a healthful diet, and nutrition education. We help nearly one in four people.

  3. FNS Nutrition Assistance Programs • SNAP (formerly food stamps) • Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant and Children (WIC) • Farmer’s Market Nutrition Programs • Food Distribution Programs • Child Nutrition Programs • Disaster Assistance

  4. National School Lunch Program • Over 101,000 schools • 31 million lunches served daily • 11 million breakfasts daily • USDA donates about 20% of the food served in schools • Schools must “buy American” where possible

  5. Food Safety Concerns in Schools • Microbial Risks • Recalled Food • Fresh Produce • Employee Health and Hygiene • Chemical Risks • Arsenic and Rice • Ammonia and Lean Finely-Textured Beef • Food Allergies

  6. Food Recalls • Recalls of USDA Foods are managed through our rapid alert system • Resources include • Guidelines for Inventory Management and Tracking • Responding to a Food Recall (revision expected 2013)

  7. Produce Safety • Fresh produce offerings in schools are expanding • Salad bars • Farm-to-school • School gardens • Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program • Increase in foodborne illness outbreaks associated with produce • Leafy greens, tomatoes, melons, fresh-cut produce Food Safety Staff

  8. Produce Safety Projects • Produce Workshop with JIFSAN • Produce Safety University • Produce Training Materials: Available at: http://www.nfsmi.org/producesafety • Produce Safety webinars with the School Nutrition Association 8 Food Safety Staff

  9. School Outbreaks by Etiology1998-2006, n=298 Source: Pogostin et al. 2008. School-Associated Foodborne Outbreaks in the United States- 1998-2006. Presented at OutbreakNet Conference.

  10. Employee Health Projects • The Stomach Bug Book: What School Employees Need to Know • Developed with the National Education Association- Health Information Network • Employee Health and Personal Hygiene for Child Nutrition Professional • Norovirus Training Materials • Developed with the National Food Service Management Institute

  11. Recent Chemical Food Safety Concerns for Schools and WIC • Bisphenol-A • Arsenic in apple juice • Pesticides and ADHD • Ammonia and Lean Finely-Textured Beef • Arsenic and Rice

  12. Responding to Concerns • FNS leans heavily on regulatory agencies (FDA, FSIS, EPA) for statements and guidance on safety of chemicals of concern • Talking points for press inquiries • Information shared with FNS Regional Offices, State Agencies, School Nutrition Association, and other partners • Respond to questions from States, schools, and others

  13. Lean Finely-Textured Beef (LFTB) • Much greater social media involvement than previous issues • Over 250,000 signatures to online petition • Response coordinated at the USDA departmental-level • Multiple USDA agencies affected- FNS, AMS, FSIS

  14. Comments from States, Schools, and Parents on LFTB • “ ‘Generally Recognized As Safe’ sounds wishy-washy.” • “Personally, I'm less concerned that it's safe and more concerned that I can't get a straight answer whether or not it's in the food in my kids' lunch!” • Posted to Mealtalk- a listserve for school foodservice: “…there is no link on any USDA website that adds clarity about this issue…”

  15. Food Allergies in Schools • 4 of every 100 children have a food allergy • 18% increase in prevalence of food allergy in the past decade • 16-18% of school-aged children with food allergies have experienced a reaction in school Branum & Lukacs, NCHS Data Brief 10, October 2008 Sichererer al. American Academy of Pediatrics 126(6):1232-1239. 2010

  16. FNS Food Allergies Policy • Schools must make substitutions in the reimbursable meal for students with severe and potentially life-threatening food allergies • Physician’s statement required • Food(s) to be omitted • Food(s) to be substituted • No extra charge allowed

  17. Food Allergies Projects • Webinars and podcasts with School Nutrition Association • www.schoolnutrition.org/foodallergies • Fact Sheets and video with NFSMI- coming soon • Booklet for school employees with National Education Association Health Information Network –coming soon • Presentations at national conferences

  18. FNS Partners • Federal Partners! • Center of Excellence for Food Safety Research in Child Nutrition Programs • Kansas State University • http://cnsafefood.k-state.edu/ • National Food Service Management Institute • University of Mississippi • www.nfsmi.org

  19. Questions?http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/food_safety.htmstephanie.mickelson@fns.usda.gov 19

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