2001-2002 Report

Consumer Education:

• Working collaboratively with two regional food safety education task forces in Michigan.
  o      Michigan Food Safety Task Force (Southeast)

  o      Mid-Michigan Food Safety Task Force
• Collaborating with the Michigan Food Safety Task Force in the development and distribution of 1) the "BAC Fighters Food Safety Education for Pre-Schoolers" curriculum for Extension Educators and 2) a food safety information packet that was mailed to Extension Educators and the media for National Food Safety Education Month.
• Developing a CD-ROM resource containing government and MSU fact sheets on food safety issues to be distributed to MSUE educators, food-related organizations, and others in Michigan.
• Providing Food Safety Educational Videos to MSU Extension County Offices.

• Teaching HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) training sessions at MSU (meat & poultry, seafood) and in Bulgaria (with collaboration from the MSU Institute for International Health).
• Collaborating with the MSU Institute for International Agriculture to provide food safety training in the 2^nd "International Short Course in Food Safety," which was held at the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center (NFSTC).
• Completing an initial round of ServSafe training for MSUE staff to help Michigan's Food Industry comply with the food safety educational requirements mandated by the Michigan Unified Food Law of 2000.
• Providing a ServSafe Train-the-Trainer Course for MSUE staff and individuals within the food industry.  Those who completed the course will be able to offer food safety educational opportunities to Michiga's restaurant mangers and owners.
• Conducting a Cider Makers Workshop that focuses on food safety practices.
• Fostering partnerships between MSU Extension county offices and the local health department offices.
• Developing a HACCP Train-the-Trainer curriculum for juice processors in collaboration with seven other land-grant universities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (Chicago).
• Collaborating with 13 other states to develop and disseminate training materials regarding Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for fresh produce.

• Organizing the Risk Communication in Food Safety Conference that was held in conjunction with the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center at Michigan State University in July 2000.  The conference, titled Risk Communication in Food Safety: Motivating and Building Trust, attracted individuals from academia, Michigan State University Extension, industry, and state and federal government agencies.
• Presenting papers at various conferences including the North Central Agriculture, Food, and Drug Officials Conference in Grand Rapids, MI (October 2000), National Sanitation Foundation Conference in Savannah, GA (October 2000), and state town hall meetings on biotechnology (February 2000). 
• Publishing articles in various journals including the Journal of Applied Communication, International Journal of Food Science and Technology, and Rural Sociology.
• Facilitating discussions around the state on issues such as biotechnology and bovine tuberculosis. 
• Organizing a chapter in a book on biotechnology.  This publication includes chapters from 16 European countries and will be made available in the near future.
• Collaborating with the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center to organize "The Science of Pre-Harvest Food Safety" Conference, which will be held May 2001.