| Partnership for Food Safety Education

Protect Your Family from Listeria

September 10, 2024

Listeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meats: CDC, USDA and public health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeriosis infections linked to deli meats as well as packaged meat and poultry products. (as of September 10, 2024)

The CDC estimates that Listeriosis causes about 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths in the United States each year.

The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant people and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. Pregnant people are especially at serious risk, since Listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.

Listeria monocytogenes can be found in ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs, luncheon meats, soft cheeses and unpasteurized milk.

Follow these home food safety tips to protect yourself and loved ones from Listeriosis:

Recalled deli meats

Do not eat recalled meats. Check your refrigerator for any recalled deli meats and throw them away or return them to the store. Listeria can grow on foods kept in the refrigerator.
People at high risk should only eat deli meats bought sliced at deli counters that is reheated to an internal temperature of 165 °F using a food thermometer or until steaming hot.
Clean your refrigerator, containers and surfaces that may have touched recalled meats.

Hot dogs

Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after handling raw hot dogs.
Avoid cross-contamination of raw hot dog juices on cooking utensils, food prep surfaces, or other items in the fridge.
Refrigerate hot dogs immediately after purchasing, for up to 2 weeks unopened, or no more than 1 week after opening.
Use an appliance thermometer to make sure your refrigerator is cooled at 40 °F or below.
Cook hot dogs until the internal temperature reaches 165 °F on a digital food thermometer or until steaming hot just before serving.

Home refrigerator

Maintain a home refrigerator at 40 °F or below, which is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of infection by Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria that cause Listeriosis.
Store hot dogs for up to one week in the refrigerator once the package is opened, and up to two weeks unopened. Make sure the fridge is cooled at 40 °F or below.

Follow the Partnership on Facebook, X/Twitter and LinkedIn for additional food safety advice.

Announcing 2025 Consumer Food Safety Education Conference, Registration Now Open

August 6, 2024

Bringing together nutrition, public health and food safety professionals to prevent food-related illnesses at the “fork” end in the chain of prevention.

The Partnership for Food Safety Education will host the Consumer Food Safety Education Conference (CFSEC) on March 13-14, 2025 at the Sysco Headquarters in Houston, Texas.

CFSEC is the only conference in the U.S. dedicated to consumer food safety education, convening research experts, nutrition professionals, and community-based health and food safety educators across the country who educate consumers on how to handle food safely at home.

The 2025 CFSEC will equip health and food safety educators from all sectors with knowledge and tools to prevent foodborne illness at the fork end of the chain of prevention as well as orient educators to national goals such as Healthy People 2030. Public health, nutrition and food safety educators need to be poised to reach consumers with food safety education that is effective at influencing behavior change.

This conference will help advance knowledge in today’s critical health and food safety challenges. Conference attendees can expect sessions on food safety research, programming, and communications, alongside interactive food safety experiences.

This unique conference will be chaired by Charles Leftwich, vice president of food safety and quality assurance at Sysco Corporation and Tara Kelly, instructor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

CFSEC keynotes and speakers will be announced soon. Attendees will hear from top experts in the health and food safety industry who will provide the latest in food safety education research and practices and facilitate meaningful discussions around prevention of food-related illness among consumers.

Other features of the CFSEC include:

The opportunity to network and collaborate with health and food safety educators from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, higher education and the food industry
Access to tools and resources that address the biggest food safety challenges
Posters exploring the latest research and innovations

Registration is now open! Take advantage of the summer savings rate of $425 through Sept. 2 — a $75 savings off the standard rate or the early bird rate of $450 through Dec. 31 — a $50 savings off the standard rate!

PFSE is accepting abstract submissions on a variety of topics related to food safety, under these four program tracks:

Original Research
Food Safety Programs or Campaigns in Action
Interactive Presentations, Demos and Experiences
Food Safety Education Strategies and Successes (posters only)

Share your professional knowledge, research and experiences for program consideration. Submit your abstracts by Monday, Sept. 2!

For more information, visit cfsec.org or contact PFSE at cfsec@fightbac.org.

About the Partnership for Food Safety Education
The Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) is a nonprofit, public health organization with a mission to develop and promote effective education programs to reduce foodborne illness risk for consumers. This important work is done through a historically significant cross-sector collaboration with the federal government, food industry, consumer groups, and scientific associations. PFSE supports more than 13,000 nutrition, health and food safety educators with free, science-based safe food handling messages who reach 8.5 million U.S. households each year. Food safety professionals, health educators and consumers can download free food safety education information from the Partnership’s website at fightbac.org.

Meet PFSE Board Member Dr. Barb Masters

July 24, 2024

Our board members bring a wealth of experiences and expertise to the Partnership, united by their passion for our mission. It’s our pleasure to introduce them to you.

Dr. Barb Masters, Vice Chair
Vice President of Regulatory Policy, Food & Agriculture
Tyson Foods, Inc.
Connect: LinkedIn

Get to know more PFSE board members.

Meet Our Board Members

June 27, 2024

Our board members bring a wealth of experiences and expertise to the Partnership, united by their passion for our mission. It’s our pleasure to introduce them to you.

Harold Chase, Chairman
Director of Government Affairs
NSF
Connect: LinkedIn

Dan Fone
Vice President, Food Safety, Quality & Sanitation
Dollar Tree
Connect: LinkedIn

H. Lester Schonberger, Ph.D.
Associate Extension Specialist
Virginia Tech/Virginia Cooperative Extension
Connect: LinkedIn

Sharon Mayl, Board Advisor
Partner
DLA Piper
Connect: LinkedIn

Jane DeMarchi
President
North American Millers’ Association
Connect: LinkedIn

Stefanie Evans, Ph.D.
Vice President, Quality & Food Safety Sourcing & Design
Danone North America
Connect: LinkedIn

Spring Forward with Food Safety

March 26, 2024

Many of this season’s celebrations involve perishable foods like eggs, beef, ham and lamb. These foods need to be handled properly at home to prevent food poisoning.

Safe Egg Handling

Eggs are a big part of many spring celebrations and activities. Kids love to decorate and dye them, hide them, and cook them with their families in festive foods.

Follow these eggs-pert food safety tips with kids and families to keep them safe this spring season:

Wash hands with soap and water before preparing food and after handling raw eggs.
Prevent cross-contamination. Wash cutting boards, counters, utensils, and serving plates after touching raw eggs, meat, poultry, and seafood.
Remember the two-hour rule. Don’t leave eggs out at room temperature for more than two hours.
Cook eggs and dishes containing eggs until the internal temperature reaches 160° F on a food thermometer.
For egg hunts and other activities, only use eggs that have been refrigerated. Discard eggs that are cracked, dirty, or have been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Get more safe egg handling advice to keep you and your young ones healthy this season.

Handle & Cook Meats Safely

The meat is the centerpiece of any holiday meal. Make sure yours is a showstopper by handling and cooking it safely:

Wash hands with soap and water before preparing food and after handling raw meat and poultry.
Cook ham until the internal temperature of 145 °F on a food thermometer with a three-minute “rest time” after removal from the heat source.
Bake beef brisket, fat side up in a baking dish, in an oven set no lower than 325 °F. The brisket is safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 °F on a food thermometer with a three-minute “rest time” after removal from the heat source.
Cook all raw lamb steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F on a food thermometer with a three-minute “rest time” after removal from the heat source.

Spring Clean Your Way to a Safer Kitchen

It’s important to know the difference between cleaning and sanitizing. They aren’t the same thing. Both are important to help prevent the spread of harmful germs.

Cleaning removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on surfaces or objects. This process works by disinfecting surfaces or objects using a diluted liquid chlorine bleach solution (combine 1 tablespoon liquid chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of water in a clean bucket).

Learn more about when to clean and when to sanitize at home.

Follow these food safety tips to help your family and friends have an egg-cellent spring celebration!