Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network


SAFEFOOD NEWS - Fall 1998 - Vol 3 / No. 1

Go to Table of Contents for this issue

Resources

New internet resource for assessing behavioral risk factors:

How are people in your state behaving? Find out at CDC's new website: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (
FSS) Online Prevalence Data. Which state has the highest number of people without health insurance? Who is least likely to wear a seat belt? How many of us are eating the recommended five fruits and vegetables a day? Check it out online at www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/brfss. Just point and click to find data about the risky and healthy behaviors of U.S. adults for one or all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The data are from CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the largest continuously conducted telephone health survey in the world.

Topics for which data are available include health status, health insurance, routine checkups, diabetes, smoking, pregnancy, women's health, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, injury, alcohol, vaccinations, colorectal screening, cholesterol, physical activity, diet, and weight control. For certain states, information on activity limitations, health care access, use of health care services, oral health, and smokeless tobacco is also available.

For each behavior or risk factor, you choose the way you want to see the data:

• Grouped by sex, age, race, income, and education.
• Side-by-side comparisons of different states.
• Side-by side comparisons of different years (1995 and 1996 available now; 1997 available in fall 1998).
• Data for all states and certain U.S. territories on one page.

Holiday Food Safety Materials

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has the following materials available to assist in answering those "holiday" food safety questions.

• Turkey Basics: Stuffing
• Turkey Basics: Safe Defrosting
• Turkey Basics: Handling Cooked Dinners
• Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking
• Food Safety Feature: Countdown to the Holidays

These materials are available at www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/whatsnew.htm.

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

On October 27, 1998, the FDA announced the availability of a guide for growers, packers and shippers of fresh fruits and vegetables, which provides information on agricultural and management practices they may apply in order to enhance the safety of their fresh produce.

The document provides science-based guidance that will help reduce microbiological hazards common to the growing, harvesting, washing, sorting, packing and transporting of fruits and vegetables. These microbiological pathogens can cause foodborne illness in those who eat contaminated produce.

The document, titled "Guidance for Industry: Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables," was prepared in consultation with the USDA in response to a presidential directive on food safety issued in October 1997. The guide is intended for use by both domestic producers of raw agricultural products and for foreign producers who export such products to the Unites States. The FDA is coordinating the effort for HHS.

The document is intended as voluntary guidance-not a regulation-for producers, packers, and shippers of fresh produce.

Single copies of the guide are available by written request to:
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-32)
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20204
The guide is also accessible on the FDA website at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/prodguid.html.

National Antimicrobial Information Network

NAIN is . . .

• A toll-free telephone service operated in conjunction with the National Pesticide Telecommunications Network.
• A Service that provides antimicrobial information to any caller in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands.
• A service that provides objective, science-based information about a wide variety of antimicrobial-related subjects, including:
  • Antimicrobial products: sanitizers, disinfectants, and sterilants
  • Toxicology
  • Environmental chemistry

NAIN can . . .

• Help callers with interpretation of product labels and permitted uses, provide safety information, health and environmental effects.
• Supply general information on regulation of antimicrobial pesticides in the United States.
• Take reports of lack of product efficacy and forward this information to the EPA.
• Refer requests that are outside the expertise or authority of NAIN to more appropriate sources, such as
  • EPA-Environmental Protection Agency
  • APIC-Association of Professionals in Infection Control
  • CDC-Center for Disease Control
  • NADCA-National Air duct Cleaners Association
  • FDA-Food and Drug Administration

NAIN can be reached at -
Oregon State University
333 Weniger Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331-6502
Phone: 1-800-447-6349 FAX: 541-737-0761
Internet: www.ace.orst.edu/info/nain

Updated Monday, August 29, 2011