Partnership for Food Safety Education

FightBAC!

Don’t Wing It Is a Hit with Older Americans

BAC Fighter Jennifer Jackson is with the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities in Annapolis, Maryland. She told us, “We have a lot of fun speaking to people about food safety, and this new Don’t Wing It campaign really helped us inform them about how to practice food safety from store to table.”

Informative Fun for Older Americans Month 

Jennifer and colleagues celebrated Older Americans Month in May with a fun and informative health fair booth featuring Don’t Wing It tips and guidelines. They estimate they reached about 350 people during the event.

Ask Me About My Skittles…

A display board presented the Don’t Wing It tips for the safe purchase and preparation of poultry. It also included a “Skittles” visual showing how quickly bacteria multiply when in the danger zone.

Cross-Contamination “Show and Tell”

At another station, using a package of chicken from the local grocery store, Jennifer and colleagues demonstrated how to use bags to prevent cross-contamination while shopping. This demo generated lots of questions about the proper use of the bags when handling poultry.

Heating Up Cookouts: Using a Food Thermometer

At the cookout station, Department of Aging staff demonstrated how to properly use a food thermometer while preparing food on their mini-grill. This demo received lots of positive feedback and inquiries about where to purchase a food thermometer.

 

 

Wash Hands, Not Poultry!

Many people were surprised about the recommendation to not wash poultry. Jennifer and her team talked with some older adults who were adamant about washing their chicken, but they were able to convince at least a few to change their practices after sharing Don’t Wing It information. Jennifer said, “I spoke with one lady who has been washing her chicken for over 30 years. After explaining to her the risks involved with washing poultry, she made a vow to stop washing chicken that day. She also took information for her daughter, who also washes her chicken.”

Remember This Chick?

Chelsea the Chicken was also in attendance, sunbathing at the top of the tent!

Jennifer shared: “We love all of the resources your organization provides and look forward to your next campaign!”

 

Food Safety Trivia Isn’t Trivial!

Jennifer Jackson of Anne Arundel County Maryland, Department of Aging and Disabilities, shares a BAC Fighter success story from the Older Americans Month Health and Wellness Fair they attended.

jennifer JacksonHer department set up a table on food safety which included Chelsea the Chicken,  a cantaloupe cleaning demonstration, and their Food Safety Trivia Wheel.

An older couple approached their display and spun the Food Safety Trivia Wheel. Jennifer read their trivia question: “During a summer picnic, how long can food be left out before it needs to be refrigerated or thrown away?” The husband answered and said that he thought food could be left out for six hours!

After explaining the correct answer (found on The Partnership for Food Safety Education’s “Chill” handout), he exclaimed, “So, that’s why we all got sick during that trip to the amusement park!”trivia game-cropped

It turns out that he and his family planned a trip to an amusement park and packed a cooler of barbecue chicken to eat for lunch. The chicken was left in the cooler all day and no one checked to make sure that the temperature was kept out of the danger zone. After eating the chicken for lunch, everyone in his group suffered a bout of food poisoning. He and his wife told me that they would make sure they packed food safely in the future!

Jennifer Jackson
Assisted Living Program
Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities
Annapolis, Maryland

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A Rubber Chicken and a Food Safety Lesson Learned

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.

Chelsea Chicken and friends cropped
At the Make Health Happen Fair, Anne Arundel Cnt., MD. Pictured (L to R): Susan Shelton, Program Director, Chelsea the Chicken, and Carol Clemmens, Assisted Living Associate, Assisted Living and Housing Department, Anne Arundel Cnt Dept. of Aging and Disabilities.
Anne Arundel County -Jennifer Jackson and Colleagues cropped'
Pictured (L to R): Fannie Sumter, Carol Clemmens, Susan Shelton, and Jennifer Jackson, Anne Arundel Cnt Dept of Aging and Disabilities.

Food Safety Prep from a Maryland BAC Fighter

Natasha M. Shamone-Gilmore is a BAC Fighter and the Co-Founder/Executive Director of the Maryland Resource and Training Center, a nonprofit organization. They focus on strengthening communities by providing wraparound social services and programs to individuals and families based on the four pillars of civic learning and engagement, youth empowerment, leadership, and economic independence.

Part of their service includes a food safety prep class where Natasha teaches students about proper food temperatures, parasites and contaminants. She also helps get them ready for their certified professional food manager exams.

Thanks Natasha for getting future Maryland food managers prepped on food safety!

 

BAC Fighter Game Teaches Refrigerator Safety

Shauna_Henley

My go-to food safety educational game for open houses and health fairs is my refrigerator game.  When you only have a minute or two with people, I’ve learned you have to make food safety eye-catching, interactive, and understandable for young kids to older adults.

I made my own mini-refrigerator out of junk Styrofoam and rubber. I have my audience role a dice, and if the number is positive or negative I’ll ask them to tell me one way food was stored correctly or incorrectly in the refrigerator.

Most people walk away learning that you shouldn’t keep your eggs in the refrigerator door despite how most refrigerator are designed, and that an appliance thermometer is important to have.  My audience also learns that the refrigerator should be 40°F or lower, and that meat should be wrapped and placed on a lower shelf.

About the author:

Shauna Henley works for the University of Maryland Extension as a Family & Consumer Sciences educator. She focuses on teaching food safety, nutrition, and physical activity to the great Baltimore community.