Food Safety AoE Team Retreat

Holiday Inn - Mt. Pleasant, MI

November 8-9, 2000

 

Minutes

 

Day 1: November 8th

 

Present:   Jan Seitz, Ron Kinnunen, Pat Stewart, Robert Rodgers, Mary Bellows, Betty Blase, Toby TenEyck, Kim Lay, Ellen DeFay, Les Bourquin, Craig Harris, May Mong, Joanne Beckwith, and Al Booren.

 

Convened:  10:10 am

 

Began with warm-up of Food Safety Jeopardy.

Food Code Books were distributed to members.

 

I.     Explanation of meeting packet materials and agenda overview.

 

II.    Budget:

The budget from FY1999-2000 was carried over into this year's budget.  Funds from FY2000-2001 will not be able to be carried over next year.  The Food Safety AoE Team currently receives $10,000 each year, which can be used at our discretion.  Other monies come from grant sources.  W. K. Kellogg Foundation monies can be used for food domain issues and Food Safety AoE Team development, ie., Jennifer Wagester's salary, graduate students, focus groups for visioning in Michigan concerning food/food safety issues.  Research and curricula will be developed as a result of the WKKF grant activities.  (What are consumers hearing about food safety and what are they doing with that information?)  Dollars can be used for strong, targeted projects.  Sam Varghese is willing to award $500 for various poultry-related mini-projects.  

Discussion:     1.  Can/will Extension Home Economists track consumer food safety calls?

                                    2.  Jennifer Wagester has developed a pilot of a full-tech question search on a web page.  Hotline questions could be inserted into this database and made accessible via the food safety website. 

3.  Joanne Beckwith, a faculty member in the Resource Development Department, would like to be on the Food Safety AoE Team.  She has submitted to the Food Safety AoE Team a proposal for project funding.

 

III.  Web Information / Consumer Education:

            Ideally, the Food Safety website would be set up so that as soon as campus researchers have new information on a hot topic, it would be posted on the Food Safety website with links, instead of being posted after a request from the field for info.  Problem:  A procedure for a general statement on controversial topics has not been established.

Discussion:     1.  Michigan Food Law is on the Michigan Department of Agriculture website. The law creates two advisory boards to be used by the industry and consumers.

2.  Can we use some of our funds to hire a student to compile questions that are asked by ServSafe participants and post them on the website with the answers?  Write a proposal to Michigan Department of Agriculture for such?

                                    3.  Could the Social Dimensions Workgroup conduct research on questions from counties?

                                   

IV.  Corrections:     

Add Betty Blase and Patricia  Stewart to membership list. 

Mission Statement:  Remove “on issues related to safe food.”

            Mode of Operations: 

Page 1 – Composition:  REMOVE list of campus depts.  Membership: ADD Active membership in the FS AOE team is open to MSU campus-based faculty, specialists and academic staff and board-appointed field staff.  Associate membership is extended to partners external to MSU who have a commitment to the vision and mission of the team.

Page 2 – Officers: ADD Officers must be active members of the AoE Team and attend a minimum of 75% of Food Safety AoE Team functions during their term. Nominees for officer positions must consent to their candidacy before the elections.  Voting and nominating privileges are extended to all active members.   Roles:  ADD Campus Co-Chair chairs the Resource Committee.  Co-Chairs serve a 2 yr. term; Vice Chair serves a 1 yr. term and advances to the corresponding Co-Chair position.  Paid Position: CHANGE “Paid Position” to “Team Coordinator” and ADD “paid position” as bullet under “Team Coordinator.”  Standing Committees: CHANGE “Training/HACCP” to “Professional Training,”

Page 3 - ADD to GRAPHIC:  “Civil/Advocacy Groups” and “Media.”  CHANGE “Regulatory Groups” to “Government Groups.”

Page 4 – CHANGE “Annual Meeting (June) to “Summer Meeting (June)” and “Annual Meeting (Held in Conjunction w/ Extension Council Conference)” to “Fall Meeting (Held in Conjunction w/ Extension Council Conference).”  CHANGE Step 2 to Step 3 and Step 3 to Step 2.  CHANGE the Establish Budget Step from December to July.  CHANGE the Establish Budget Step from being determined by the Team Officers to the being determined by the Team Co-Chairs.  REMOVE: 1st sentence of the last paragraph and make the remaining part of the paragraph a bullet item under step 4.  

Page 5 - Role/Committee Chair:  ADD Reports on Committee's activities at each AoE Team meeting.  Expectations: CHANGE Carryout to Carry out.

Page 6:  No changes.

Page 7: CHANGE “At the annual June meeting” to “At the Summer meeting”

MODE OF OPERATIONS APPROVED AS REVISED.

 

 

 

V.   Nominations accepted for Off-Campus Vice Chair Position:

            Lisa Treiber accepted.  Ron Kinnunen declined.  Charlotte Thompson will be called by Mary Bellows to see if she will accept nomination.  (No contact was able to be made with Charlotte.)

 

VI.  AoE Team Letterhead: 

CHANGE left margin to:

            Michigan State University Extension

Food Safety Area of Expertise Team

            Michigan State University

120 G.M. Trout Building

East Lansing, MI  48824-1224

Phone: 517-432-7022

Fax:  517-353-8963

Email:  aoe_foodsfty@msue.msu.edu

Website: http://foodsafe.fshn.msu.edu

REMOVE other items.

Email all AoE members as a Word document.

Logo:  Table for discussion.  CHANGE Training/HACCP to Professional Training.

Finalizing of letterhead will be done via the email listserv.       

 

VIII.   Broke into Workgroup Sessions at 4:20pm.

 

 

Day 2: November 9th

 

Convened:  8:35am

 

Present:  Craig Harris, Lisa Treiber, Ron Kinnunen, Jan Seitz, Roberta Rodgers, Pat Stewart, Betty Blase, Al Booren, Les Bourquin, Ellen DeFay, and Karen Shirer.

 

 

I.    Les distributed a questionnaire that Jennifer Wagester and Lisa Treiber passed out during the October 24th-25 Michigan Environmental Health Association Conference at the Food Safety AoE Team Display Booth.  Discussion included the importance of Extension marketing its expertise and ability to train the food safety trainers of food-related organizations.

 

II.    The Food Safety website was shown listing the ServSafe courses being conducted in the counties.  It was suggested to have counties link their web page to the Food Safety website.

 

III.   Vice Chair Election:

Candidates:  Lisa Treiber; Mary Bellows volunteered to be the “runner up” candidate.

Lisa Treiber was voted the new Vice Chair.

 

IV.    Comments from Karen Shirer:

Karen Shirer will discuss with Cheri Booth & Arlen Leholm the issue of a monetary stipend for AoE Co-chairs.

 

V.      Work Group Reports:  SEE FOLLOWING PAGES.

 

VI.   AOE Budget Discussion:

It was decided that $1,000 will be set aside for anyone needing travel monies for Food Safety AoE Team participation.   Monies for workgroups will be made available as funds are needed. 

 

VII.  Next meeting:  June 7, 2001 – MSU campus.

                                 October  - Extension Conference.

                                 November  7-8, 2001 Retreat  -  Soaring Eagle Casino, Mt. Pleasant, MI.

 

Adjourned: 11:50 am. 

 


Social Dimensions AOE Work Group Report – Mt. Pleasant, MI, November 2000

 

1.  Summarize Accomplishments for the Year 2000

 

The Social Dimensions group was an integral component of the Risk Communication in Food Safety Conference held at Michigan State University in July 2000.  The Conference, titled “Risk Communication in Food Safety: Motivating and Building Trust,” attracted individuals from government, industry, extension, and university campuses.

 

Members of the Social Dimensions group have given 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).  Articles authored by members of the group have appeared (or are soon to appear) in various journals including the Journal of Applied Communication, Food Ethics Review, and Rural Sociology.  Members have also been involved in talks around the state on issues such as biotechnology and bovine tuberculosis.  A chapter in a book on biotechnology -- which includes chapters from 16 European countries – will be appearing soon.

 

2.  Summarize Downfalls for the Year 2000

 

The idea of put together some general food safety Town Hall meetings around the state has been discussed but has not been implemented.  In addition, given the responsibilities of the groups members outside the AOE has made it difficult to develop this group's full potential.

 

3.  Evaluate progress

 

Each of the conferences members have attended, including the Risk Communication conference held at MSU, have been quite successful based on input from other attendees.  I think improvements could be made in tying the group closer together, which falls under the guidance of the Workgroup chair (Ten Eyck).

 

4.  Identify goals for 2001

 

There are three research goals that will be pursued during 2001:

 

1.  Identify value formations on the issues of biotechnology (Beckwith)

2.  Complete survey of Michigan Industry (Ten Eyck)

3.  Complete interviews with individuals concerning food safety information dissemination and interpretation (Ten Eyck and Lay)

 

The underlying objectives of these research goals is to gain a better understanding of how individuals at different points in the food system are dealing with information on food safety.

 


One of the major outreach goals of this group is to begin working with different extension offices to begin studying calls that are coming to these offices concerning food safety questions.  This activity will have both research goals (e.g., who is calling, what questions are being asked, what are the differences, if any, between counties), and outreach goals (e.g., putting together a rapid response system).

 

In addition, support for the Town Halls meetings is beginning to grow within the AOE.

 

5.  Determine budget for 2001

 

Beckwith – $5000

Ten Eyck – $3000 (plus graduate student)

 

6.  Elect New Workgroup Chair

 

Toby Ten Eyck and Janet Lillie will continue to chair the Workgroup.

 

 

 


Minutes from CONSUMER WORKGROUP

At Food Safety AOE Retreat

November 8-9, 2000

 

Downfalls/Challenges:

  1. Mini-grant implementation, deadlines, vagueness, follow-up

But can be successful in future.  Good first try.

 

Progress Evaluation:

1.   Another task force begins to organize in the Mid-Michigan Area.

2.   New curriculum designed; assists w/networking with HeadStart, WIC, child care providers.

3.     Afforded more MSUE promotability.

4.     3 RFP's completed in mini-grants: Hillsdale County: Train-the-trainer

Refrigerator Temperatures; Grand Traverse County: Thermometer Packet;

Midland County: Community Food Safety Training.

 

 Improvements:

1.     More efficient communication and listserv usage.

 

 For 2001:

1.     Continued Food Safety/MSUE recognition.

2.     Identify emerging issued for field staff delivery BEFORE issue becomes a crisis.

3.     Prepare season issues replies.

4.     Existing bulletins to be reviewed & updated quarterly with a new list distributed quarterly.  Betty Blase agreed to work on this with Pat Miller/Editor.

5.     NC State food preservation notebook that is in all counties be put on web and cross-searchable.

6.     A Senior Food Safety curriculum is needed.  Roberta Rodgers volunteered to work on it with K. Majewski.  Toby TenEyck might be a good resource in developing.

 

Budget:

1.     2 mini-grants…$750 each; with criteria of packaging the process and program into a kit with P. Miller's help.  Could be used as FNP match.

2.     20-30 mini-grants for counties to purchase video for

BacFighter! Preschool curriculum….possibly $25/$45 co-pay with Food Safety AoE Team. Criteria: 1 community partner, and multiple use programming plan. Could be used as FNP match.

3.      Postage/letterhead for Southeast Food Safety Task Force quarterly newsletter…$750.

 

 Requesting:

1.     Success story feedback.

 

 Work Group Meeting Dates:

1.     Conference call….Feb. 8, 2001 - 10 am

2.     June, at annual meeting

3.     Conference call in August

4.     At Annual Conference in Oct. or at Nov. Retreat.

 


 

Professional Training Workgroup Minutes
Food Safety AoE Team Retreat - Mt. Pleasant, MI

November 8, 2000

 

 

Summarize Accomplishments:

 

Downfalls for year 2000:

 

Evaluate the progress:

 

Identify what you want to accomplish in the year 2001: