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Food Standards Agency

Sunday 5 July 2009

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Food Safety Week 2009

Food Safety Week is an annual event held to promote the importance of good food hygiene in the home. This year Food Safety Week will be taking place between 15–21 June 2009.

For 2009 the focus will be on people over 60 and the need for correct storage and handling of food in the home. The reason for focusing on this audience is the recent sharp rise in cases of listeria specifically within this age group – the number of cases in the over 60s has doubled since 2001 and it causes more deaths each year than salmonella and E. coli O157 combined.

A range of events will be taking place across the UK in local councils, community groups and schools to highlight the importance of food safety and hygiene in the home and promote the 4 Cs (cooking, cleaning, chilling and cross-contamination).

To support these local events we have produced a range of publicity materials and these are available free of charge. Details of the resources can be found below, they include leaflets, posters, fridge thermometers and a schools booklet, balloons and stickers.

Resources are available throughout the year, not just for Food Safety Week, so if you are planning to organise an event after Food Safety Week to promote good food hygiene, you can still order posters, leaflets and other materials by contacting Food Standards Agency Publications on 0845 606 0667.

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New resources for Food Safety Week 2009

We have developed some new materials for Food Safety Week 2009. You can view them at the links at the foot of this page.

These materials are also available in Welsh.

You might also be interested in the Agency’s booklet ‘The good life’, which gives healthy eating advice for people over 50.

You can order all these items free of charge from Food Standards Agency Publications. Call: 0845 606 0667 or email: foodstandards@ecgroup.co.uk

If you work with professional caterers that cater for the over 60s, then you will find some useful information in the Care Homes supplement of 'Safer Food, Better Business' or our Listeria factsheet – 'Listeria: keeping food safe'. Find out more at the links below.

FSA publishes listeria factsheet
Practical advice for safer food in care homes

You might also be interested to view these listeria ads produced for the Life Channel and available on our YouTube channel.

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Other Food Safety Week resources

You can order these items from Food Standards Agency Publications at foodstandards@ecgroup.co.uk or 0845 606 0667. The leaflet and posters are also available to download at the links below.

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School resources (download only)

Schools can play an important role in helping to get this year's Food Safety Week messages across. The booklet 'Food Safety Week for Schools: A Key Stage 2 resource for teachers' (see link at the foot of the page) provides you with some ideas about how it can be incorporated into the school timetable.

The following downloadable activity sheets and a teaching pack are also available to help educate children on good food hygiene and help teachers incorporate food safety messages into the school curriculum:

Teachers might also be interested in the food hygiene site produced by Asda. See the link below.
(External) Asda - the Binks

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Who is Grubeye?

Grubeye is the star of the 'GermWatch' campaign. He revels in poor food hygiene and delights in the misfortune of those at risk of food poisoning. Nothing makes Grubeye happier than when people spread germs – maybe you forgot to wash your hands before preparing food, or perhaps you used the same chopping board for raw meat and food that was ready to eat.

'Killer Facts' are another important element in the GermWatch campaign. They warn people about the dangers of poor food hygiene and provide helpful advice so people can fight back against the germs.

The grotesque GermWatch star was brought to life for Food Safety Week in ads screened on GMTV in 2008 – you can see Grubeye in action and view the ads on (External) eatwell.gov.uk/germwatch .

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Related links

Beat the Bingo Bug! Game Curse of the uncooked A3 poster

Download pdf  (pdf 449KB) Food Safety Week development research: working with older people Food Safety Week for Schools: A Key Stage 2 resource for teachers Published June 2009

Download pdf  (pdf 1MB) Fridge thermometer

Download pdf  (pdf 197KB) Germ maze

Download pdf  (pdf 1MB) GermWatch colouring sheet

Download pdf  (pdf 93KB) GermWatch schools pack Primary school teaching and learning materials

Download pdf  (pdf 1MB) GermWatch word splat Search for the hidden words

Download pdf  (pdf 575KB) Good Life - Nutritional advice for both men and women over 50

Download pdf  (pdf 913KB) Horror of the unwashed hands A3 poster

Download pdf  (pdf 3MB) If you’re over 60 these could save your life in the kitchen A3 listeria poster

Download pdf  (pdf 378KB) If you’re over 60, a closer look in the kitchen could save your life Listeria leaflet

Download pdf  (pdf 1MB) It came from the chopping board A3 poster

Download pdf  (pdf 467KB) It came from the chopping board Read the GermWatch leaflet

Download pdf  (pdf 595KB) Listeria leaflet dispenser

Download pdf  (pdf 1MB) Terror stalks the fridge A3 poster

Download pdf  (pdf 453KB)

More advice from our eatwell website

(External) GermWatch (External) Look out for listeria

Find out more

Food Safety Week partners 2009

A wide range of organisations have been working together for Food Safety Week by organising local activities and promoting food safety.

Wythnos Diogelwch Bwyd 2009

Mae’r Wythnos Diogelwch Bwyd yn ddigwyddiad sy’n cael ei gynnal bob blwyddyn i bwysleisio pa mor bwysig yw hylendid da yn y cartref. Bydd Wythnos Diogelwch Bwyd yn cael ei chynnal rhwng 15-21 Mehefin 2009.

Food Safety Week partners 2008

A wide range of organisations have been working together for Food Safety Week by organising local activities and promoting food safety.

See also

Food Safety Week partners 2008 GermWatch: The story of food safety week 2008 Read the evaluation of food safety week 2008

Download pdf  (pdf 1MB) (External) Get Adobe Acrobat reader You may need the free Acrobat Reader to view a pdf

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