PFSE Launches Food Safety Awareness Initiative

With the food industry gearing up to celebrate National Family Meals Month and National Food Safety Education Month in September, the nonprofit Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) is launching a new initiative to support families enjoying safe and exciting meals at home.

Retailers, suppliers and industry partners—including Costco Wholesale, Cargill Inc., Ardent Mills and the Frozen Food Foundation—have teamed up for "The Story of Your Dinner" campaign, providing new food safety tools and recipe resources designed to both educate consumers on the risks of foodborne illnesses and inspire family cooking occasions. The campaign begins Sept. 4.

“We’re working to integrate safe food handling with the fun of making meals and snacks at home,” said Shelley Feist, PFSE executive director, in a statement. “We’re very appreciative of these sponsors for helping us educate people about the food safety chain of prevention and the individual's role in that chain of prevention.”

The Story of Your Dinner campaign this year includes digital components, such as an educational video exploring the “chain of prevention"; recipe videos developed by leading food bloggers such as Creative Bite’s Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Sheet Pan; social media posts and quizzes; and interactive games and downloadable sheets designed for children to have fun while learning about food safety.

Additional materials and campaign activities include:

The Story of Your Dinner has earned nearly 500 million consumer impressions over the past two years, with the PFSE’s network of health and food safety educators—including dietitians, cooperative extension specialists, caregivers and public health officials—delivering food safety education to millions of people in the U.S. each year. 

Illustration courtesy of Partnership for Food Safety Education

“One in six Americans get sick with a foodborne illness each year. We can improve this statistic when we come together to reduce foodborne illnesses,” said Kathy Means, PFSE board chairperson and Produce Marketing Association VP of demand creation and consumer affairs. “A great benefit of The Story of Your Dinner is the chance for the industry to be part of the solution on raising visibility around the simple steps to getting a safe meal on the table. We’re honored to work with such an inspiring group.”