New Program Teaches About Food Safety, Careers

A science education program aimed at teaching middle and high school students about food safety and careers in food science has been launched by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Aimed at middle and high school students, Science and Our Food Supply teaches the scientific principles of all aspects of food safety, from the farm to the dinner table. The educational program also introduces students to the wide variety of careers in food science.

Offered free to science educators, Science and Our Food Supply has three components designed to provide a variety of learning opportunities for students. Teacher guides, one each for middle level and high school educators, contain 16 hands-on experiments and activities. Each guide has five different modules: Understanding Bacteria; Farm, Processing and Transportation; Retail and Home; Outbreak; and Future Technology.

To program includes a 46-minute video, Dr. X and the Quest for Food Safety, which features a savvy food scientist who leads students on a journey through the food supply chain, exploring behind-the-scenes research in laboratories and profiling scientists in food safety careers. Also included is a Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide with frequently asked questions, fun facts, helpful tips, and more.

The program was developed at a time when food borne illness is a major public health concern and more high school students are employed in restaurants than in any other industry. Through the program, students will learn about bacterial growth and how pathogens pose a risk of causing illness, as well as how safe food handling practices in restaurants and at home can reduce food borne illness. Other topics addressed include: how practices on the farm, such as safe composting, can lead to safer crops, and how food processing technologies, suchas ultra-high temperature pasteurization, are leading to new products.

Science and Our Food Supply uses an inquiry-based learning approach as set forth by the National Science Education Standards. Professional development workshops are being offered to middle level and high school science teachers to prepare them to use the program in the classroom.

Teachers may receive a copy of the Science and Our Food Supply Program by completing a request form on the NSTA web site www.nsta.org/professionalinfo. Requests can also be mailed to NSTA, Science and Our Food Supply, 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000, or faxed to (703)522-5413.

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