Dear Food Safety Educator:

The Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety and Inspection Service are joining with the restaurant and foodservice industry to invite you to participate in the 2001 observance of National Food Safety Education Month^SM (NFSEM). The goal of NFSEM is to educate the public about safe food preparation. This Consumer Education Planning Guide is designed to assist you in promoting food safety education this September.

National Food Safety Education Month^SM is presented by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s International Food Safety Council, a coalition of restaurant and foodservice professionals certified in food safety. Now in its seventh year, NFSEM is an important food safety education focus for government and consumer organizations, as well as industry.

Be Cool – Chill Out! Refrigerate Promptly is this year's theme. Food safety experts advise consumers to refrigerate food quickly because cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from multiplying and help to prevent foodborne illness. Consumers are advised to make sure that their home refrigerator is 40 °F or below and freezer is 0 °F or below. These temperatures should be checked with a refrigerator/freezer thermometer.

This Planning Guide contains a variety of ideas and tools for organizing food safety education activities and events for various age groups. A “How To” section offers suggestions for putting them into practice. The Planning Guide is available on the NFSEM Web pages at www.FoodSafety.gov/September.

We hope you will view National Food Safety Education Month^SM as an exceptional opportunity to focus your efforts in educating consumers about the critical role they play in food safety. We thank you for your interest and participation.

Sincerely,

Joseph A. Levitt, Director Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Thomas J. Billy, Administrator Food Safety and Inspection Service U.S. Department of Agriculture