The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced that it is to hold a virtual public meeting on 6 October 2020 to discuss the state of consumer food safety education, current research, and future studies and engagement to close the gap between food safety messages and consumer action.

“USDA has been a leader in consumer education for years, and now we have the evidence to show how and why our food safety messages are critical,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety, Dr. Mindy Brashears. “By using research to continually improve food safety education, based on empirical data instead of assumptions, we can change consumer behaviour and decrease foodborne illness nationally.”

The public meeting, “Food Safety: Consumer Outreach and Education Today and for the Future,” will feature presentations from food safety experts on their current and upcoming work and will highlight partnerships that have set the stage for the continued improvement of consumer food safety. Participants must register online to attend, and can indicate if they would like to speak at the meeting when they register.

FSIS noted that it is conducting research to understand how consumers truly handle food in the home, with research partners RTI International and North Carolina State University. By observing consumers as they prepare meals and conducting interviews, focus groups and web surveys, FSIS aims to use data to redesign and reimagine food safety outreach for the future.