Food Protection Trends - January 2010 - 42

WhAT’S hAPPENING IN FOOD SAFETY 2010 Crumbine Award Guidelines Released T he Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) released the guidelines for the 2010 Samuel J. Crumbine Award for Excellence in Food Protection at the Local Level, which annually recognizes excellence in food protection services by local environmental health jurisdictions in the United States and Canada. Named for one of America’s most renowned health officers and health educators – Samuel J. Crumbine, M.D. (1862–1954) – the award has elevated the importance of food protection programs within government departments and agencies and has inspired excellence in the planning and delivery of those services. Entries for the Crumbine Award competition are limited to US and Canadian local environmental health jurisdictions (county, district, city, town or township) that provide food protection services to their communities under authority of a statute or ordinance. The US Uniformed Services and US Indian Health Service area programs are also invited to compete, if they are not monitored by a state, county or city health unit. Past winners may apply five years after receiving the award. The guidelines are the basis for all Crumbine Award applications and must be followed in order to be considered for the award. The basic award criteria, by which achievement is measured, are: · Sustained improvements and excellence, as documented by specific outcomes and achievements, over the preceding four to six years, as evidenced by continual improvements in the basic components of a comprehensive program; Innovative and effective use of program methods and problem solving to identify and reduce risk factors that are known to cause foodborne illness; · Demonstrated improvements in planning, managing and evaluating a comprehensive program; and · Targeted outreach; forming partnerships; and participating in forums that foster communication and information exchange among the regulators, industry and consumer representatives. The winner of the award is selected by an independent panel of food protection practitioners who are qualified by education and experience to discern excellence in a program of food and beverage sanitation. They represent various interests, including leading public health and environmental health associations, past Crumbine Award winners, consumer advocates and the food industry. The jury makes its award selection each spring in a judging process administered by FPI. The application deadline for the award is March 13, 2010. The Crumbine Award is supported by the Conference for Food Protection in cooperation with the American Academy of Sanitarians, American Public Health Association, Association of Food & Drug Officials, Foodservice Packaging Institute, International Association for Food Protection, International Food Safety Council, National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Environmental Health Association, NSF International and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.For more information about the Crumbine Award, including the 2010 award guidelines, go to FPI’s Web site at www.fpi. · org (in the “Awards” section); or contact Lynn Dyer at FPI by phone at 703.538.3551 or by E-mail at ldyer@fpi.org. USDA Report Reveals Highest Rate of Food Insecurity Since Report Was Initiated in 1995 SDA’s Economic Research Service’s (ERS) has released its annual report on Household Food Security in the United States, which revealed that in 2008, 17 million households, or 14.6 percent, were food insecure and families had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year. This is an increase from 13 million households, or 11.1 percent, in 2007. The 2008 figures represent the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995. The full study is available at www.ers.usda.gov/features/ householdfoodsecurity/. “The Obama Administration has put in place unprecedented measures to promote job creation and combat hunger in our Nation, a problem that the American sense of fairness should not tolerate and American ingenuity can overcome,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The Department of Agriculture’s nutrition assistance programs provide a safety net that improves food access to those with critical needs, but addressing the root of hunger requires a broader strategy. By improving access to federal nutrition programs and working with our partners at all levels of government and society, we can make progress in our effort to reduce and eventually eliminate childhood hunger.” u 42 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | JANUARY 2010
http://www.fpi.org http://www.ers.usda.gov/features/householdfoodsecurity/ http://www.fpi.org
Food Protection Trends - January 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - January 2010
