Jennifer Jackson is a BAC Fighter with Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities in Annapolis, Maryland. Their newsletters, which contain food safety tips, reach an estimated 12,000 family members, caregivers, managers, nurses, and assisted living facilities.

The department also has active and creative food safety trainings for area caregivers, managers, delegating nurses, and other staff who work in assisted living facilities throughout the county, reaching about fifty each year with science-based food safety information.

One of the “stars” of the trainings is Chelsea the Chicken, a bikini clad rubber chicken who is “a diva that doesn’t like to get her swimsuit wet”. This little prop helps to bring home the message of not washing poultry in the sink.

One of the participants in the training was Abdul Abdullah, owner of two assisted living facilities in their county. Abdul said the training confirmed for him that washing poultry was not needed and actually increased food safety risk.  He had heard this before but it wasn’t until he came to the training that it was validated for him with clear, science-based information. Now he confidently shares this information with his staff and with his family members at home.