News Release
For Immediate Release — May 6, 2008
University of Tennessee and Grocery Manufacturers Team Up to Bring Food Safety Curriculum to Tennessee Middle Schools: Hands-On Classroom Program Teaches Youth Important Food Safety Concepts and Practices
In a "Food Safety in the Classroom" project, a boy sets up an experiment to test for the most effective means of hand washing (no soap, soap, or hand sanitizer). He is touching the Petri plate with his hand unwashed to establish a control plate.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) have announced a partnership effort that is bringing the university’s Food Safety in the Classroom program to Meigs Middle Magnet School in Nashville and nine other middle schools around the state. Food Safety in the Classroom is a hands-on, interdisciplinary curriculum that teaches students key food safety concepts and practices. A $25,000 contribution from the Grocery Manufacturers Association provided the funding for the program’s implementation.
The Grocery Manufacturers/Food Products Association represents the world’s leading food, beverage and consumer products companies. The association promotes sound public policy, champions initiatives that increase productivity and growth and helps to protect the safety and security of the food supply through scientific excellence.
“We thank the Grocery Manufacturers Association for its very generous contribution to Food Safety in the Classroom, an invaluable educational outreach program that will teach students important lessons on food safety in a manner that allows the schools to continue meeting mandated curriculum standards for math, science, and social studies,” said Dr. Jennifer Richards, project coordinator for the program with the University of Tennessee’s Department of Food Science and Technology. The department and University of Tennessee Extension are delivering the program.
While it is essential to educate adults about food safety given the important role they play both as parents and as individual consumers, middle school students are also a critically important target group for such outreach efforts because they generally do not receive any meaningful food safety education even though they often prepare meals and snacks for themselves and their families.
“We are very pleased to have Food Safety in the Classroom as part of our curriculum,” said Jon T. Hubble, principal of Meigs Middle Magnet School. “Our school is committed to furthering the education of our students in ways that are both meaningful and enduring and I am very confident that this program meets those criteria.”
“Food safety is the number one priority of the food industry, and just like our member companies, GMA is committed to investing in and supporting those efforts that serve to further enhance the safety of the food supply,” said Robert Brackett, chief science officer for GMA. “That is why we are so pleased to be part of this effort with the University of Tennessee. Through educating middle school students about food safety, Food Safety in the Classroom helps improve food safety today and lays a strong foundation for it tomorrow.”
The Food Safety in the Classroom program is conducted at each participating school for approximately one week and is woven into the school’s daily math, science and social studies curriculums. Over the past two years the program has served 13 schools, more than 1,700 students, trained 56 teachers, and 14 Extension Educators.
For a list of the schools that will be participating in the Food Safety in the Classroom program,please contact Richards at the University of Tennessee at (865) 946-1089 or by email at Jennifer.richards@utk.edu.
Funds for the development of the program were provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Integrated Food Safety Initiative and UT’s Food Safety Center of Excellence under the direction of Dr. Ann Draughon.
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Contact: Dr. Jennifer Richards (865) 946-1089
Margot Emery (865) 974-7141