 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency
Hurricane Sandy pounded the eastern seaboard causing flooding, fire and the loss of power from high winds, snow
and rain. Knowing how to determine if food is safe and how to keep it safe will help minimize the potential loss
of food and reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
This fact sheet, ABCD's of Keeping Food Safe in an Emergency,
will help you make the right decisions for keeping
your family safe during an emergency. To review it in detail, go to
www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/
keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp.
Families should also have an emergency plan in place for future severe weather situations that includes food and
water safety precautions. The publication "A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes"
is available at www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/
Severe_Storms_and_Hurricanes_Guide.pdf
to print and keep as a reference during power outages.
"Todo Cuenta"
FSIS is working with CBS Radio to reach out during the holiday season and educate Hispanic populations in Baltimore,
Md., and Houston, Texas., about food safety and the risks associated with the improper handling and preparation of
food.
"Todo Cuenta" is an agency food safety campaign targeted toward Spanish speaking consumers. The Spanish
PSAs will air holiday food safety messages daily from Nov. 5-19 and Dec. 10-23. Web banners will be posted on the
radio stations' websites that will drive people to the FSIS website. Stations will also provide a "Food Safety
Message of the Day" that will remind consumers to follow the four food safety steps when preparing holiday
meals. At selected radio stations, a bilingual food safety expert from the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline will be
talking about food safety with hosts of morning shows.
To view the FSIS "Todo Cuenta" page, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/en_espanol/Todo_Cuenta/index.asp.
Hotline Remains Open During Hurricane Sandy
While federal government buildings in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area were closed on Monday and Tuesday
during Hurricane Sandy, the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline remained open as usual. However, instead of sitting in
their offices, the Hotline staff answered calls via their laptops from their homes in Maryland, Virginia and
Washington, DC.
Almost 40 percent of the calls taken during the Hotline's usual hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET were about food safety
during power outages. Most of the calls came from the storm-hit areas of New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
A New York woman, who was living in her car after being forced to evacuate her home, called to ask if it was safe to
eat food right out of the can. She had no way to heat the food.
An older woman from Pennsylvania had just invested the remaining money from her Social Security check to stock her
refrigerator. She was about to cry when Hotline Specialist LCDR Israel Otero explained how she could keep her
perishable food safe until power was restored.
Food Safety Specialist Tina Hanes helped a New Jersey woman who was marooned in her high-rise apartment building.
The woman needed to know how to keep her food safe until the power would be restored—7 days later. She had gotten
the Hotline number from an FSIS publication she picked up at her local grocery store. The woman thanked Hanes for
being available during the hurricane and being so helpful.
The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available to consumers in English
and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are
available 24 hours a day.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for the following
countries:
Complete information can be found at
www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
FSIS to Hold Webinars on Poultry Sanitary Dressing Procedures
The agency will be conducting webinar trainings on Nov. 7 (state audiences) and Nov. 8 (industry audiences) that
focus on verification of poultry sanitary dressing. The course will also cover process control procedures by off-line
inspection program personnel in poultry slaughter operations using a systems approach. Both webinars will be held at
11 a.m. ET.
The training will discuss a "system" as it relates to sanitary dressing and process control, the role of sanitary
dressing, and process control as part of an establishment's food safety system. In addition, there will be discussion
as to how inspectors will verify poultry sanitary dressing and process control procedures as outlined in Directive
6410.3 (www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/FSISDirectives/6410.3.pdf).
Registration is not required for either webinar. To participate, go to
www.connectmeeting.att.com (meeting number: 888-858-2144 and
pass code: 3959167). Participants are asked to log in 10 minutes prior to the start of the webinar. For specific
course questions, visit askFSIS at http://askfsis.custhelp.com/.
Get Answers at askFSIS
AskFSIS is a web-based technology and policy question-and-answer forum on topics such as exporting,
labeling, inspection, programs and procedures. In addition, askFSIS offers Really Simple Syndication
(RSS) feeds that link back to the Q&As. Visit http://askfsis.custhelp.com/
to view recently posted topics. The following topic was recently updated:
Updates on FSIS Testing for E. coli
FSIS posts bi-weekly updates for the agency's raw ground beef E. coli sampling program. Included are
testing results of raw ground beef component samples for E. coli O157:H7 and STECs from FSIS routine
and follow-up sampling programs. Also featured is data for non-O157 STECs by each non-O157 STEC serogroup.
To review testing results, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Ground_Beef_E.Coli_Testing_Results/index.asp.
|
Last Modified:
November 2, 2012 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
To view PDF files you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
