National Food Safety Month Reminds Us: Everyone’s Table Deserves to Be Safe

Food safety matters wherever and however we gather

September is National Food Safety Month, a pivotal moment to reaffirm our collective commitment to preventing food poisoning. Each year, the Partnership for Food Safety Education brings people and organizations together through a Collective Day of Action on September 18, a coordinated effort to bring awareness to safe food practices that help reduce the risk of food poisoning.

Everyone, from health and food safety educators to industry, government agencies, schools, and community organizations, has an opportunity to take action by sharing trusted food safety information with their networks and communities. Together in 2025, we reached more than 3 million people in a single day. Take the pledge, and join us in reaching even more people this year!

This year’s Collective Day of Action theme, “Everyone’s Table,” is built on the idea that every table looks different, but every table deserves to be safe. Whether someone is eating in a school cafeteria, a break room, at a dining room table, in a car, or some other setting, they deserve the same safe experience. “Everyone’s Table” invites us to recognize what we all have in common, no matter the setting. 

The stakes are clear. 44% of shoppers say they are having more family meals at home than a year ago, and they increasingly view meals at home as offering more than just cost savings. Family meals are seen as healthier, more balanced, and more enjoyable, while shared meals create opportunities for meaningful conversations and stronger family connections (FMI, 2026). At the same time, the CDC estimates that 48 million people experience foodborne illness each year.

 A stark reminder that risk remains real as home cooking rises.

This is our collective opportunity to lead and to make visible the important work we are doing to support illness prevention. The Collective Day of Action on September 18 is one way to make a difference during National Food Safety Month, bringing people and organizations together around a shared commitment to food safety.

 By uniting industry, government, and professional health and food safety educators, we can:

• Invest in public education campaigns that raise awareness and help people put food safety into practice wherever they eat and prepare food.
• Support ongoing training for professionals working directly with communities, equipping them with practical, relevant tools to reach people in the places and ways that matter most.
• Meet people where they are. Food safety messages should reflect how people cook and consume information today, quickly, on a budget, and using tools and appliances such as air fryers.
• Recognize the common thread across every setting. While the way we eat may look different from table to table, the need for safe food does not.
• Take action together. Use September 18 as an opportunity to share food safety information, engage your community, support education, and help make food safety visible at everyone’s table