INTRODUCTION

The popularity of fairs, street festivals, and community suppers in America's small town and big cities continues to grow. We love to share our diverse cultures and cuisines with others in the community. These events may be held at fairgrounds, on city streets, or in a church--often with limited food preparation and sanitary facilities. Food is served by volunteers who may not have the food safety knowledge and skills needed to prepare food safely.

Organizations serving food at these events have an obligation by law, to provide safe food to the public. The consequences of a foodborne illness outbreak at these types of events could be devastating personally and financially to any organization- either non-profit or for- profit. This curriculum was designed to help you and your organization reduce the chance that a foodborne illness outbreak will ruin your event.

The curriculum materials are based on a Pre-Operational Guide for Temporary Food Establishments developed by the Plan Review Committee of the Conference for Food Protection and adopted by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000. A copy of these guidelines may be found on the FDA website (http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/tfe-toc.html). In 2001, the FDA developed an in-service education training session for local regulatory officials based on the Pre-Operational Guide. The curriculum package includes:

1. The Planning Guide is a workbook, which provides the site manager with step-by-step directions for organizing a temporary food event with food safety as the priority. The Planning Guide contains food safety information and a variety of forms that can be used for planning the event and for food safety practices record-keeping.

--download the Planning Guide (40 page booklet) here in PDF format
Planning Guide Part 1
Planning Guide Part 2
Planning Guide Part 3

2. A series of short Toolbox Lessons that may be used to train site coordinators and/or food workers. The lessons are based on the basic food safety principles of the nationally recognized “Fight BAC” campaign. Each Toolbox includes links to websites offering additional information. The following toolbox lessons can be downloaded in PDF format:

• Practice Good Personal Hygiene
  
• Keep It Clean Series:
  Hand-washing
  Food Contact Surfaces: work areas, equipment, utensils, cutting boards
  
• Separate-Don’t Contaminate Series:
  Menu Planning and Purchasing
  Receiving Safe Food
  Storing Food Safely
  Serving Safe Food
  
• Keep Temperatures Under Control

 

3. A worker training booklet, "Five Steps to Food Safety,” that includes the information presented in the toolboxes.

--download "Five Steps to Food Safety" here in PDF format

4. A ten-minute video, "Looking for a Safe Harbor," which focuses on the causes and prevention of foodborne illness at temporary food events. The video may be used to supplement the Toolboxes as a review of basic food safety principles.

--click here to download Order Form for Video

 

Curriculum Authors:

University of Vermont M. Dale Steen, MAT,CFCS University of Vermont Extension Food Safety and Nutrition Specialist 107 Eastern Avenue St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819-8802 Phone: 802-751-8307, Ext. 29 Fax: 802-751-8800 dale.steen@uvm.edu	University of New Hampshire Catherine Violette, Ph.D., R.D. Extension Professor and Extension Specialist, Food and Nutrition UNH Cooperative Extension 129 Main St., 219 Kendall Hall Durham, NH 03824-3590 Phone: 603.862.2496 Fax: 603.862.3758 Catherine.Violette@unh.edu
University of Rhode Island Martha S. Patnoad, MS CFSP Cooperative Extension Professor and Specialist Food Safety Education CE Education Center 3 East Alumni Ave. University of Rhode Island Kingston, RO 02881 Tel: 401-874-2960 Fax: 401-874-2259 mpatnoad@uri.edu	University of Connecticut Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD Cooperative Extension Educator/Food Safety University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System New Haven County Extension Center 305 Skiff Street North Haven, CT 06473 Phone: (203)407-3163 Fax: (203)407-3176 dhirsch@canr.uconn.edu