Food-Safe Schools Action Guide Debuts (9/5)

Food-Safe Schools Action Guide Debuts

Silver Spring, MD - A new handy school tool designed to make food served at schools safer and more palatable is making its debut. The Food-Safe Schools Action Guide will be introduced at a press event, sponsored by the National Coalition for Food-Safe Schools (NCFSS), at 12 noon on Sept. 13.

The press event will be held during the National Nutrition Education Conference, hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, Sept. 12-14, 2005 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA.

NCFSS is an alliance of representatives from over 35 national organizations, professional associations, and government agencies that have interest or active involvement in reducing foodborne illness in the U. S. by improving food safety in schools. NCFSS members, in addition to the United States Department of Agriculture and the American Nurses Foundation (ANF) include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Environmental Health Association, Rhode Island Food-Safe Schools, School Nutrition Association, and the National Association of School Boards.

Elaine Brainerd, project director of Food-Safe Schools at the ANF, will participate in the press event. The Food-Safe Schools Project was initiated at ANF in collaboration with the National Nursing Coalition for School Health to develop and demonstrate a national strategy that enhances the role of the school nurse in reducing and managing school-based foodborne illness outbreaks.

Elaine Brainerd is also editor of the recent released publication Food-Safe Schools: Handbook for School Nurses. The handbook was designed specifically for school nurses as a foodborne illness resource and a companion publication to the Food-Safe Schools Action Guide.

Order information for the Food-Safe Schools Action Guide is available at http://www.foodsafeschools.org. Order information for the Handbook for School Nurses: Prevention, Detection & Management of Foodborne Illness is available at http://www.nursingworld.org/anf/foodsafe/handbook.htm.

School nurses may also be interested in School Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice written in collaboration with the National Association of School Nurses which may be ordered from http://nursingworld.org/books/pdescr.cfm?cnum=15#05SSSN.

For further details regarding these guides, visit the updated Food Safe Schools web page at http://www.nursingworld.org/anf/foodsafe, or contact Andrea Brassard, Project Manager, at 301-628-519 or andrea.brassard@ana.org.

# # #

ANF is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3 organziation founded in 1955 as the research, educatin, and charitable affiliate of the American Nurses Association (ANA). The mission of the Foundation is to promote the health of the public and advance the nursing profession. ANF accomplishes its mission through three major functions: nursing research grants, extramural projects/grants, and fundraising. Over the 50 year history, more than 900 nurse researchers have benefited from more than $3 million in grants. Countless patients, hospital administrators, and consumers have benefited from the research of ANF Scholars who continue to impact health outcomes, improved the processes of the delivery of care, and enhance the quality of work life for nurses.

# # #