June 19, 2000
Michigan State University
162 Food Safety & Toxicology Building
Participants: Chris Vanderpool, Jan Seitz, Jeanie Nichols, Lisa Treiber, Ron Kinnunen, Les Bourquin, Ellen DeFay, Toby Ten Eyck, Jennifer Wagester, Cathy Pisano, Sheryl Leonard, Craig Harris, Roberta Rodgers, Edward Mather, May Mong, and Cynthia Warren
Meeting called to order at 9:45am
· Revise and Update the Draft Membership List was added to the meeting agenda.
· The MI Food Safety Alliance meeting will be held July 7th. Time has been allotted in the agenda for discussion regarding the Food Safety AoE Team. Since many of the Alliance's members represent government regulatory agencies and the food industry, it was decided that this could be an opportune time to initiate partnerships between these organizations and the Food Safety AoE Team.
Review of Minutes from the April 24th Meeting
· April 24th Minutes Approved
Consumer Education Workgroup:
· Cathy Pisano provided an update on Consumer Education Workgroup's activities. After January Food Safety AoE Team meeting, several people reviewed the mini-grant applications. 15 individuals were awarded $500, 8 were funded through the AoE and 7 were funded through Sam Varghese. Only three of them have completed their grants. A few are planning to purchase supplies for food preservation. The others were not committed to completing their project.
The timeline for spending the mini grants will be July 15th. The Consumer Education Workgroup will meet again and see if they can put together a new mini-grant package.
· It was also mentioned that September is food safety month. The Fight Bac campaign was big and the new campaign will be centered about temperature control with Thermy. Some of the EHEs have received the educational materials for this new campaign, however, it was suggested that the AoE request up to 100 copies so that one can be sent to every county. Jennifer Wagester and Les Bourquin will look into ordering these materials. Roberta Rodgers would like to have someone to look at the “hamburger picture” since it is confusing.
· Jeanie Nichols provided a report on her completed mini grant. It was entitled “How cold is it?” and presented a food safety lesson via a high school student science experiment. The high school students were taught the basics about food safety and then were given thermometers to check three refrigerators and three freezers. When the students were taking the temperatures they asked the owners of the refrigerators and freezers what the correct temperatures were. The program “How cold is it?” was considered to be successful. The mini grant provided the money to purchase the thermometers for this project.
· Lisa Treiber gave a report on the educational program that she organized with money from her mini grant. The program was entitled “Food Safety: It's in Your Hands” and was held on March 16, 2000. The audience consisted of restaurant workers, day care workers, meat cutters, grocery store baggers, etc. A Sanitarian from the Midland County Health Department talked about changes in the food code laws. A representative from MDA talked about the websites that are currently house food safety information. The labeling of food products was also discussed. The event was lots of fun. Door prizes were given away and there were requests to hold a similar program in the future.
· The WIC workbook was a project that came out of monies that WIC provided to MSUE to do a satellite group. WIC dieticians teach women and children and they were not well informed regarding FS info. Therefore, a booklet was put together for them. It was distributed to every WIC dietician and also to every MSU county. WIC does not present the info, MSU is requested to do this. The video that is included with the materials was produced from a project with Kroger and is very engaging. There are props, thermometers, a sponge, and a magnet within the packet as well. Carol Wruble is distributing these to anyone that will be at the June 20th “Ask the Experts” workshop. It was mentioned that it would be nice to make sure that the MSUE and/or the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center are included on these materials.
Training Workgroup:
· Les Bourquin talked about the 24-hour HACCP course that he taught for 23 participants in Bulgaria in May 2000. Many of the participants were from government regulatory groups. Approximately 10 were from organizations like Coca-Cola and the beer brewers. Because of the amount of material that is presented, a CD was created for the course. There are probably about 10,000 pages of material saved on the CD as html documents and pdf files. The html documents must be viewed by the individual's browser and Acrobat reader 4.0 is provided on the CD to view the pdf files.
· It was suggested that a similar CD should be created for EHEs and sent to every county as a reference. The Consumer Education Workgroup, Robert Rodgers, and Jan Seitz will work with Les Bourquin to prepare a CD that is appropriate for EHEs. Jennifer Wagester will help organize the production of the CDs and will also make the information available via the Food Safety AoE Team website.
· MDA is offering 6 training sessions on the new MI Food Law. Anyone interested in attending should contact Jennifer Wagester for the registration information.
· Jan Seitz and Jennifer Wagester reported on the 16-hour ServSafe course that the Training Workgroup is organizing for MSUE Agents. The ServSafe course will be held August 28-30th at the Holiday Inn in Mt. Pleasant. It is possible that an 8-hour ServSafe Train-the-Trainer course will be held following the ServSafe course. Details regarding this development will be forthcoming. Currently 20 MSUE Agents have indicated that they are interested in attending the training course. It was decided that the course will be subsidized by the Food Safety AoE Team to keep the cost for each agent below $100.[1] If you would like more information about this course please contact Jennifer Wagester.
· Ron Kinnunen reported that he and his colleagues are putting on a HACCP Seafood Training course August 22-24th in the meat science facility in MSU's Anthony Hall. The course registration fee is $120. If you would like more information about the HACCP Seafood Training course contact Ron Kinnunen or Al Booren.
Social Dimensions Workgroup:
· Toby Ten Eyck discussed his involvement in a Bovine TB workgroup. The Bovine TB group is looking into how information about this topic can be presented without making the general public panic.
· Craig Harris is working on food safety related sociology research.
· Chris Vanderpool reported that the Biotechnology Workgroup met with representatives from Europe and the UK to discuss biotechnology issues. They submitted an USDA-IFAFS IFIS grant to study Biotechnology Extension Education. The team who is involved in the grant is composed of faculty members from Crop & Soil Sciences, Ag Economics, Resource Development, and Sociology. A grant was also submitted to the National Science Foundation, which partnered with Purdue, Texas A&M, and Europe to research Food Safety and Biotechnology issues. Historical case studies are also included.
· Chris Vanderpool and Toby Ten Eyck are also working on a grant focused on cultural resonation with others in the scientific community. They are also going to be presenting their work regarding sociological issues in food safety at several conferences.
· Toby Ten Eyck is organizing the Risk Communication Conference that will be held July 11th and 12th at the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center. Ellen DeFay mentioned that Karen Shirer is willing to sponsor 2 EHEs from each MSUE region. The EHEs who are interested need to contact Karen as soon as possible. The registration deadline is June 26, 2000.
Report from the MI Food Safety Task Force
· Ellen DeFay reported that the task force will put out a media packet in September. The task force members have been working on a Bac Fighters Kit designed for Preschoolers and their parents for the past 9 months. Kroger sent the kit to every county, but has not yet been distributed throughout Michigan. The task force also distributed the Bac logo at the Michigan State Fair and is working on a newsletter that will be printed quarterly. The newsletter will be very short (one-page both sides) with various “sound bites” that can be provided to the local media.
· The MI Food Safety Task Force members are primarily located in the Southeastern part of Michigan. Lisa Treiber and others are in the process of organizing one in the Midland area. This will provide many opportunities for working with outside partners.
· Dr. Edward Mather, Interim Director of the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, gave a report on the progress that has been made regarding the organization of a masters program in food safety. It has been suggested that the program should target distance learning since many employees are not able to take time off to pursue a masters degree. MDA and other companies (Coca-Cola, Hershey, etc.) seem to be supportive of a distance learning program. The masters degree would include some sort of distance learning opportunities such as web-based courses, an internship and elective courses that the students could take through nearby universities or through MSU. The NFSTC is currently performing a market research study to determine if there is a need for this type of program. Funds are also being sought to make traditional courses available through the web.
· The results of the Food Safety AoE Team Member Formative Evaluation (Summer 2000) were provided by Jennifer Wagester. Nineteen surveys were completed and returned out of approximately 50 and most tended to be very positive. A majority of those who returned the survey were satisfied with the AoE Team's current membership, their interaction with others on the AoE Team, and the newly created mission, vision, and dacum document. A written summary of the results of the survey was provided at the meeting.
· Jennifer Wagester provided a quick overview of the draft of the Food Safety AoE Mode of Operations that was provided at the meeting. It was decided that comments regarding the Mode of Operations would be requested after lunch.
Discussion of the Food Labeling Project
· Ellen DeFay read an email that she received from Ann Nieuwenhuis, CED in Kalamazoo County, regarding the possibility of the Food Safety AoE Team collaborating with a group of restaurant managers and owners in Kalamazoo County.
At a focus group meeting
of restaurant managers and owners, I presented a concept of a label that could
be adhered to foam containers for restaurant customers taking "menu
leftovers.” Concern has been
raised as to consumers' knowledge of food safety and proper handling
practices with these food items. As
they increase their food safety practices especially in light of the new food
code, they wonder if food borne illnesses will be attributed to the customers'
handling practices and still blamed on the food establishment. As we discussed the concept, they
envisioned a label that says thank you for eating at-_______( which the server
can fill in) on _____ (again filling in the date).
Simple statements of
information would appear after this statement:
Refrigerate immediately
XXXXX
A statement like”for
more food safety information contact your local
health department or MSU
Extension office.”
These could be
individualized with county phone numbers depending on the cost.
This is just a
concept. The focus group would be
willing to review and assist in the design of such a label.
Discussion followed the reading of this message. During the discussion it was decided that take out food is a potentially dangerous item and that there are many factors that could influence how people use the info. The issue was directed to the Consumer Education Workgroup to flesh out. It was thought that perhaps the project could be funded by a mini grant to pilot the labels.
· It was decided that the Food Safety AoE Team would not submit any additional topics for Fall Extension Conference other than the one that Les Bourquin submitted regarding the new MI Food Law. The Food Safety AoE Team also decided to meet at 9 am on the first day of the conference. The meeting will provide time for work groups to meet and for general discussion. It was suggested that the Mode of Operations be reviewed and voted on at this meeting.
Revise and Update the Draft Membership List
Those present at the meeting reviewed the draft membership list that was provided at the meeting. Those who are no longer active in the Food Safety AoE Team will be sent an email to ask if they would like to be taken off of the mailing list. Jennifer Wagester will send the email and update the mailing list.
Schedule Meeting Dates for the Next Fiscal Year
A retreat was scheduled for Nov. 8-9, 2000 and a general meeting was scheduled for June 7, 2001 in addition to the meeting scheduled at the October Extension Conference. More information about these meetings will be forthcoming.
Presentation and Discussion of the Food Safety AoE Mode
of Operations (continued)
· Several changes were made to the draft that was presented at the meeting:
1. Industry Representatives and Regulatory Agency Representatives will be involved on the External Advisory Committee and will not be part of the general Food Safety AoE Team.
2. The Officer Position of Secretary was removed. The duties assigned to the Secretary Position are currently performed by Jennifer Wagester.
3. The way in which the Co-Chairs and Vice Chair positions are awarded was changed. Electing a Vice Chair from campus and a Vice Chair from field staff will alternate. Each year when a new Vice Chair is elected, the old Vice Chair will assume the Co-chair role that is associated with his/her employment status. For example, if a field staff Vice Chair is elected, the next year the field staff Vice Chair will assume the role of the field staff Co-Chair and a new Vice Chair from campus will be elected. The following year the campus Vice Chair will assume the role of the campus Co-Chair and a new Vice Chair from the field staff will be elected.
4. Extension will not be included as a component of the External Advisory Committee. Instead, one or two representatives from the Food Safety AoE Team will be included on the External Advisory Committee.
5. The process for securing additional funding will be rewritten.
6. The times of the half-day in-service training sessions will be changed from August and February to September and March. These events may also be held in conjunction with other MSUE activities if appropriate.
· A 2nd draft will be available in the near future. It will be sent to each Food Safety AoE Team member for comments.
The meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m.
[1] On June 21, 2000 members of the Training Workgroup decided that PAs will be offered a 4-hour ServSafe course that is specifically developed for their professional needs. They will not be allowed to participate in the 16-hour ServSafe course since it will be targeted towards agents' needs. A date has not been set for the 4-hour ServSafe course.