Are Your Children Aware Of Food Safety?
When I was a kid, I looked forward to recess and lunch – those were the times when I could take breaks and grab a bite. I am sure that children today are not that much different in this respect. More than merely having a break from classes and studying, they also find these times as opportunities to interact with their friends in a less formal atmosphere.
What the kids may not be aware of is that they are quite prone to infection and other diseases – if food safety practices are not observed. That is why the Food Safety Council and Department of Health of Vineland in New Jersey hosts an annual contest on food safety. They encourage school children from grades 1 to 12 to join the contest, which involves drawing pictures for the new food safety calendar.
The Daily Journal featured this story and here is an excerpt:
A contest highlighting the importance of safely handling food had Tara Piccione’s third-grade students shocked.
The Winslow Elementary School students were delighted to learn the winner would receive a $50 gift card, and yet equally disgusted to learn about food-borne illness.
The city’s Food Safety Council and Department of Health annually host a contest for all Vineland Public Schools students in grades one through 12 to draw pages for the new food safety calendar.The pages chosen by judges are used for a 12-month calendar that city officials distribute to every retail food establishment in Vineland, said Jeanne Garbarino, principal registered environmental health specialist in the department of health’s environmental health unit. Winners — one for each grade — get copies of the calendar and a $50 Visa gift card.
So why were the students shocked? Because of what they have learned from the contest and the food safety program as a whole. These children learned that they can germs from the most innocuous of activities. They learned that they need to wash their hands as often as they can in order to avoid contamination.
A lesson that we can learn from this? We really need to educate our children right from our very homes. It is a good thing that a government agency is taking steps to disseminate information but I still believe that these things can be taught at home. If you teach your children the value of good hygiene, then they will be better protexted when they are outside of the house.
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Posted on October 1st, 2008 by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, K-6, News, Parents, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Students
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