NCBA JOINS FORCES IN NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY CAMPAIGN

CHICAGO, ILL. Oct. 24, 1997 -- "Fight BAC!™" is the rallying cry of the new food safety education campaign, launched Oct. 24 in Washington, D.C. by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and a coalition of industry, government, and consumer groups. This marks the beginning of an intensive, multi- faceted national campaign to spread the word about safe food- handing practices.

   The Partnership for Food Safety Education was formed in response to President Clinton's five-point food safety initiative announced earlier this year. The Partnership has produced a video news release and public service announcement for television, media packets, supermarket kits and community action kits. The group will rely on schools, health organizations, community groups, and supermarkets to extend the messages in local communities.

   NCBA is one of the original six industry partners, helping to finance the Partnership, craft the messages and design the campaign. "Our industry's commitment to food safety extends well beyond the millions of dollars we spend each year on research," said NCBA president Max Deets. "We also need to help consumers realize the important role they play in safeguarding the quality of their food."

   Deets represented the beef industry at the press conference hosted by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala. This food safety education campaign is the most recent of many on-going NCBA consumer education programs, said Deets. He cited the retail distribution of the Perfect Burger cards and Mr. Food recipe/food safety cards, the Safe Food Backgrounder for health education professionals, and Plating it Safe brochure for general consumers.

   Another NCBA initiative to address beef safety is the recently-announced Beef Industry Food Safety Council, a coalition headed by NCBA CEO Chuck Schroeder to address issues from farm to table.

   Consumer research conducted early in the campaign indicated consumers don't acknowledge a danger they cannot see, namely foodborne pathogens. So, the Partnership developed a "spokescreature" named BAC, a villainous little green bacteria who tries to contaminate food in home kitchens. The food safety messages are designed to "Fight BAC" by

   WASHING hands and cooking surfaces thoroughly
   COOKING all foods to proper temperatures
   CHILLING all foods promptly
   SEPARATING raw meats from other foods to avoid cross-contamination.

   Other industry partners in the Partnership for Food Safety Education are the Food Marketing Institute, American Meat Institute, American Egg Board, National Restaurant Association, Product Marketing Association, U. S. Poultry and Egg Association, National Broiler Council, and the Soap and Detergent Association.

   Government agency partners are the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its agencies (Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Cooperative State, Research, Education and Extension Service), the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and its agencies (the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the U. S. Department of Education.

   Other groups in the Partnership are the Association of Food and Drug Officials, Consumer Federation of America, Public Voice for Food and Health Policy, and Carol Tucker Foreman, a food safety advocate and former Assistant Secretary of Agriculture.

   The NCBA and its state beef councils will actively support the Partnership by publicizing the messages and providing food safety materials to consumer and civic groups. "We may expect to see BAC pop up often," said Deets, "to remind us that when it comes to safe food handing practices, everyone must 'Fight BAC!™"

   Initiated in 1898, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the marketing organization and trade association for America's one million cattle farmers and ranchers. With offices in Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C., NCBA is a consumer-focused, producer-directed organization representing the largest segment of the nation's food and fiber industry.