Partnering for Food-Safe Schools: The Action Guide

David DeLozier, MPH, CFSP
Division of Adolescent and School Health, CDC

Division of Adolescent and School Health

Mission: to prevent the most serious health risk behaviors among children, adolescents, and young adults

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash (graphic: screen shot of web page)

National Food Safety Initiative: ‘From Farm to Table’

Primary DASH objective:

• To promote and incorporate food safety into existing school health programs
• How?
  • Building partnerships

Why food safety in schools?

• Approximately 1/3 of the U.S. population attends, works for, or has children in schools^*

• Most students and staff eat meals and snacks throughout the school environment every day

• In 1998, 43% of all food preparation and food service workers were 16-24 years old^**

• Young children are more at-risk for foodborne illness

School Food Safety In the News

(graphics: newspaper headline, magazine cover, and cover of GAO report)

Enabling the Nation’s Schools to Prevent Foodborne Illness through ‘Food-Safe School’ Programs

• DASH strategies:

  • Monitor school food safety policies and practices through the School Health Policies and Practices Survey

  • Synthesize research into the Food-Safe School Action Guide and disseminate

  • Enable states and national organizations to implement ‘Food-Safe School’ programs

  • Evaluate and continuously improve those programs

logo - National Coalition for Food Safe Schools

www.FoodSafeSchools.org

• One-stop gateway for school food safety information and resources

• Links to NCFSS 50+ member organizations’ websites

Monitoring School Food Safety Policies and Practices

Sample information: 77.1% of elementary schools, 65.9% of middle/high schools, and 70.2% of senior high schools taught about food safety in at least one required health education class or course*

* Source: Fact Sheet: Food Service; From CDC’s School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000

(graphic; School Health Policies and Programs Study)

(graphic: cover of the draft Food-Safe School Action Guide which is currently being pilot testing in Rhode Island.)

‘Food-Safe School’ Framework

(graphic; shows input from teachers, administration, school food service, students, health services (school nurse), health department, Cooperative Extension, parents/family.)

The Food-Safe School Action Guide:

• Utilizes the coordinated school health program approach

• Contains separate components for each target audience

  • Provides specific, customized recommendations for what each audience might do to ensure a ‘Food-Safe School’

The Food-Safe School Action Guide contains...

• Tangible recommendations and resources for improving a schools food safety practices
• Key food safety messages appropriate to each audience
• Resource lists, fact sheets, and web links
• Solutions for possible barriers and obstacles
• Success stories/vignettes
• Ideas for collaboration
• Ideas for involving the entire school and members of the community

CDC-Funded ‘Food-Safe Schools’ Development Team

• American Nurse Foundation

• American School Food Service Association

• National Environmental Health Association

• National Association of County and City Health Officials

• Rhode Island Department of Health and Department of Education

• ORC Macro International

‘Bottom-up Approach’ for Development:

• Literature review

• Expert panel

• In-depth interviews

• Focus groups

• Case studies

• Pilot testing

What will schools ultimately receive as part of the Food-Safe Schools Action Guide?

• User’s guide with operational strategies
• Continuously-updated website with links to databases and other downloadable resources
• Continuous e-mail updates with new program-related information
• CD-ROM training module[s]
• ‘Food-Safe Schools’ promotional materials for special audiences, e.g. school administrators

Enabling States to Implement ‘Food-Safe Schools’ Programs in Schools

• CDC funds CA,RI,SD, WI, and WV to:

  • Form a state multidisciplinary advisory committee to develop and oversee implementation of a state plan to implement ‘Food-Safe Schools’ programs

  • Hire a state school food safety specialist within the department of education, health, or other state-level agency

  • Develop a state-specific model ‘Food-Safe Schools’ program based upon CDC’s recommendations and resources outlined in the Action Guide

  • Implement ‘Food-Safe Schools’ programs in schools

  • Provide training and technical assistance to school staff on food safety

  • Strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders at the state and local levels

  • Monitor and continuously improve school food safety programs

Building State Infrastructure for ‘Food-Safe School’ Programs

(graphic; CDC / DASH Cooperative Agreement: State School Food Safety Coalition, State School Food Safety Specialist/Coordinator, Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture and Cooperative Extension)

Rhode Island’s Model ‘Food-Safe Schools’ Program

(graphic - poster)

Enabling National Organizations to Implement ‘Food-Safe Schools’ Programs

• CDC funds 4 NGOs:

  • American School Food Service Association (ASFSA)

  • The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)

  • The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)

  • The American Nurse Foundation (ANF)

• NGOs programs include:

  • Collaborating with CDC, USDA, FDA and other National Coalition for Food-Safe School members to promote and support ‘Food-Safe Schools’ programs

  • Strengthening their capacity to provide continuous technical assistance to state and local members

  • Conducting training activities for state and local members

  • Developing audience-specific resources

NGO ‘Food-Safe Schools’ Activities

Examples:

• NEHA is collaborating with USDA’s National Agriculture Library to build a web-based database of available school food safety educational materials (450+ items to date)

• ANF has developed a training program for schools nurses to strengthen their capacity to prevent, detect and respond to foodborne illness in schools

Other Ongoing CDC ‘Food-Safe School’ Activities:

• Publish journal articles and disseminate

• Disseminate CDC’s Food-Safe Schools Action Guide containing recommendations and resources for schools on how to ensure ‘Food-Safe Schools’

• Developing School Health Guidelines to Prevent Foodborne Illness

• Promoting school-based handwashing to prevent infectious disease through the Healthy Kids…Healthy Schools: It’s a SNAP! program

Questions and Answers