Full Program

Wednesday, March 1

Visit our Pre-Conference Workshops page for a full description of our workshops on Wednesday, March 1.

4 to 6 p.m. – Networking Event hosted by the Partnership’s BAC Fighter Ambassadors 
Drop by and join your fellow conference attendees for networking and light refreshments! 

Thursday, March 2

Von Nguyen, MD, MPH, Clinical Lead for Population Health at Google, shares how the second largest search engine addresses health communications on its platform and offers best practices and lessons learned.
Speaker: Von Nguyen, MD, MPH, Clinical Lead for Population Health at Google

Health equity, risk communication, and program evaluation are vital components of successful food safety education programs. Join experts Dr. Cynthia Baur, Dr. Ellen Evans, and Dr. Devlon Jackson as they share their expertise on how to incorporate these essential practices into your own programming. Time will be allocated for attendee Q&A. 
Speakers: Dr. Devlon Jackson, Assistant Research Professor, Behavioral and Community Health University of Maryland; Dr. Cynthia Baur, Endowed Chair and Director, Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, School of Public Health, University of Maryland; and Dr. Ellen Evans, Research Fellow, Cardiff Metropolitan University

11:00am - 12:15pm - Concurrent Track Sessions:

Digital Food Safety Education and Outreach: Podcasts, Extension, and the Library Institutional Repository 
How we work, connect, and learn have changed. Explore best practices for content development, delivery, and analysis of food safety information/education through podcasting (195 episodes). Highlights collaboration of Extension, college communications/marketing, and university library institutional repository (Research Exchange). Participants may replicate our approach accessing materials and presentation on Research Exchange.
Speakers: B. Susie Craig, Professor, King County Extension, Washington State University

Delivering a Hybrid Food Safety Education and Training Program 
In this session participants will learn how to successfully implement a hybrid food safety education and food preservation training program to reach diverse audiences. University of Idaho faculty will demonstrate how they successfully transitioned from an in-person program into a hybrid program including online education and small in-person lab settings.
Speakers: Bridget Morrisroe, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Idaho Extension and Nikki Telford, Family and Consumer Sciences Program Coordinator, University of Idaho Extension

A Qualitative Synthesis of Virtual Food Safety Training Barriers and Motivators 
A systematic search of digital food safety training was conducted and analyzed via a qualitative synthesis. Barriers, motivators, and recommendations for students, food workers, and consumers were identified. Attend to learn more about how you can adapt future digital trainings to improve their effectiveness.
Speakers: Zachary Berglund, Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue University 

Technology as a Tool in a Post-COVID World
During the COVID-19 emergency, we all made changes to how we lived, worked, and tried to thrive. Some continue to help us thrive today. Please join us for a discussion of how COVID drove our department to incorporate technology for long-term improvement in quality of regulation and communication.
Speaker: Gwen Williams, Health and Licensing Officer, City of Concord and Brian Santiago, Health Inspector, City of Concord and Deputy Health Officer, Town of Bedford

Pivoting Home Food Preservation Education to a Virtual Format 
Discover how Penn State Extension quickly changed from face-to-face home food preservation programming to webinars because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Educators will discuss how providing virtual classes in 2020, and 2021 has changed the program delivery process and expanded the reach of research-based home food preservation information.
Speakers: Andy Hirneisen,  Nicole McGeehan, Stacy Reed, and Mandel Smith, Food Safety Educators, Penn State University Extension

Grow Your Campaign’s Reach with Tech-Savvy Partners 
Food safety educators and communicators often work with limited budgets and small staffs, so how can we achieve large-scale distribution for our important messages? In this session we’ll hear about how FSIS collaborated with a tech-savvy partner to achieve national-scale reach and mutually-beneficial results.
Speaker: Jason Berry, Deputy Director, USDA FSIS

Evaluation of a Community-based Canning Course from 2016-2019 
Home and farm-based canning is an important component of many traditional family recipes. Improper preservation is a contributor to foodborne illness if proper techniques are not used during preparation. Surveys were completed by 238 participants in the course over a four-year period (2016 to 2019). Food preservation and canning programs increased participant confidence.
Speaker: Dr. Shauna Henley, Family and Consumer Science Educator, University of Maryland Extension

Nebraska Extension: Home Food Preservation Teaching Series 
Social media and outdated or novel methods have exponentially increased the need for safe food preservation information. Nebraska’s food preservation curriculum for adults and youth, guides educators with step-by-step photo-filled lesson plans. Educators will find the material a time saver with activities and handouts ready to use.
Speakers: Nancy Urbanec, Extension Associate; Brenda Aufdenkamp, Extension Educator; and Carol Larvick, Emeritus Extension Educator,   University of Nebraska Extension

Working Together To Reduce Food Waste: Consumer Food Waste Reduction Extension Resources
We will highlight a fact sheet, website, and other resources developed for consumers by Kansas State University and University of Missouri Extension on reducing food waste.  We provide extensive links to consumer resources on safe food storage, understanding food product dating, safely donating to food pantries, and home food preservation.
Speakers: Karen Blakeslee, Kansas State University

In this session, you’ll learn how health and food safety educators can decide what social channels to communicate on and techniques for breaking through and clearing up misinformation as it relates to food safety. The learning objectives are:

  • Inspire health and food safety educators to get started on social media and decide what social media strategy makes sense for them in order to effectively reach their audience online.
  • Discover opportunities for health and food safety educators to engage with consumers online.
  • Gain creative solutions for breaking through a crowded digital space and clearing up food safety misinformation online

Speaker: Erin Seidl, Social Media Influencer “The Food Science Babe”

1:30pm - 2:45pm - Concurrent Track Sessions:

Disparities in Food Security and Food Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Maryland
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted everyone but disproportionately affected racial/ethnic minorities. To explore state-level impact, a survey was disseminated.  Black respondents were more likely to report unsafe refrigeration temperatures compared to White respondents (32% vs. 15%, p < 0.001).  Educators may need to modify or create new programs for their community.
Speaker: Dr. Shauna Henley, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, University of Maryland Extension

Food CoVNET: Science-Based Strategies to Reduce the Impact of COVID-19
This session will present the activities and outcomes of the Food CoVNET grant, including the review of existing and expanding literature on COVID-19 and using that information to provide ongoing, science-based technical support to the food sector and to consumers to reduce the spread of the virus through the pandemic.
Speakers: Dr. Ellen Shumaker, NC State University

When Pop Culture and Food Safety Education Comingle 
Pop culture is not always related to education or utilized as a platform. The representation of food education in entertainment as a whole runs the spectrum of accurate to inaccurate. Food safety educators have the ability to harness pop culture as a learning vehicle and engage various audiences about food safety.
Speaker: Natalie Seymour, MS, Food Safety and Audit Development Manager, Ecolab Global Food Retail 

Food Safety Communication – From Social Media to Graphic Novels 
Social media’s evolution parallels that of food safety culture offers significant insights into changes in consumer behavior and in how consumers learn about food safety.  This session will explore not only the causes behind these changes, but also modern examples of how food safety is communicated.
Speaker: Dr. Darin Detwiler, Associate Teaching Professor, Northeastern University 

Food Safety Implications of Soaked Nuts and Homemade Nut-Based Dairy Alternatives 
The present study aims to assess consumer perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge of tree nuts and nut-based products via an online survey. This information will be applied to consumer food safety education resources to reduce foodborne illnesses associated the preparation of nut-based products at home.
Speakers: Maeve Swinehart, Masters Student, Purdue University 

Understanding Food Handlers’ Perceptions and Handling Practices of Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms Through Content Analysis and Interview 
In 2020, dried wood ear mushrooms, a common ingredient in Asian cuisine, were associated with a foodborne outbreak of Salmonella Stanley. In response to the outbreak, a content analysis and a series of interviews were performed to understand food handlers’ perceptions and handling practices of dried wood ear mushrooms.
Speaker: Han Chen, Doctoral Research Assistant, Purdue University

“Crying over spilled milk”: hygiene perceptions and practices of mothers when expressing and storing breastmilk for infants.
Many reasons exist why mothers are unable to breastfeed directly and choose to express breastmilk; however, when providing expressed breastmilk, there are additional hygiene and storage practices. This study explores hygiene perceptions and practices when expressing, storing and providing expressed breastmilk to infants.
Speaker: Dr. Ellen Evans, ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, Cardiff Metropolitan University 

How Food Service Operators Can Improve Food Safety Through Timely and High Quality Public Health Data
There are thousands of health departments in the US, many of which post inspection data available online. We will discuss best practices that agencies should consider when publishing data online and provide use cases for how food service businesses can leverage this data to drive food safety improvements.
Speakers: Arash Nasibi, CEO, Hazel Analytics and Dr. Al Baroudi, Vice President, QA & Food Safety, The Cheesecake Factory

Recent Research on Food Labels: An Important Source of Food Safety Information
Recent research explored consumers’ use and understanding of the mandatory Safe Handling Instructions label and voluntary Manufacturer Cooking Instructions. Product labeling information is a valuable source of food safety information at the point of food preparation. Food safety educators may want to teach consumers to look for and read these labels.
Speaker: Sheryl Cates, Senior Research Policy Analyst, RTI International

The global climate is changing rapidly due to human activities, with average temperatures increasing by about 1.8°F (1°C) over the last 100+ years. The effects of a warming climate are wide-ranging and pervasive, with more frequent and intense extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, heat waves, drought, and wildfires contributing to observed impacts on ecosystems, people, and infrastructure. Climate change will affect the food supply in numerous ways, resulting in changes to food safety risks. This presentation will review the various anticipated and already observed impacts of climate change on food safety and will focus specifically on the implications of these impacts for consumer food safety education. Specifically, the presentation will review eight key pathways through which climate change may affect food safety and how these risks could result in changes to consumer food safety risks. The session will conclude with a discussion of how climate change impacts on food safety can be mitigated through various adaptation strategies, including key tips and suggestions for enhancing and strengthening consumer food safety within this context.

Speakers: Dr. Ian Young, Associate Professor, School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University; Dr. Darin Detwiler, Associate Teaching Professor, Northeastern University

Join your fellow conference attendees for networking and learning from your poster presentation colleagues!

Friday, March 3

Leaders from Federal agencies discuss the role health & food safety educators can play in helping to advance National Food Safety Education goals. This session will combine live comments and a Q&A session. 
Speakers: Dr. Robert Tauxe, Director, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Conrad Choiniere, Director, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Food and Drug Administration; Dr. José Emilio Esteban, Under Secretary for Food Safety, Office of Food Safety, USDA

9:45am - 11:00am - Concurrent Track Sessions: 

Get Creative: How to Make Compelling Graphics for Consumer Food Safety Education 
Creating visually compelling content to disseminate food safety social media messages can be challenging. The presentation will discuss research used to create graphics that increase interactions with social media audiences, and include a demonstration of a free, easy online graphics tool that anyone can use.
Speakers: Kelsey Schwarz, Health Communications Specialist, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, CDC and Sara Bresee, Health Communications Specialist, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, CDC

Choosing the Right Media for the Message
Join this panel for a rich discussion of how to choose and design for different types of media (game, interactive, animation, video, virtual reality or app), and how they best align with specific intended learning outcomes in audiences. Review sample projects, and the ways in which research informed their design.
Speakers: Dr. Barbara Chamberlin, NMSU Learning Games Lab; Dr. Kristen Gibson, University of Arkansas, Department of Food Science; Dr. Jennifer J. Quinlan, Dept. of Nutrition Sciences, Drexel University; Pamela N. Martinez, EdD, NMSU Learning Games Lab; and Dr. Matheus Cezarotto, NMSU Learning Games Lab

Immersive Food Safety Training: Applying Lessons Learned to Develop Engaging Consumer Food Safety Education Efforts
Food safety educators can meet the needs of a targeted audience by creating innovative, engaging, and accessible tools. Tools that are used in food safety education programs for one audience, such farmers and farmers market managers, can be adapted for use with other audiences, such as consumers.
Speaker: H. Lester Schonberger, Senior Research Associate, Virginia Tech 

Focus Groups Exploring U.S. Adults’ Knowledge and Attitudes of Irradiation as a Food Safety Intervention
Food irradiation is a technology that treats food with ionizing radiation to improve safety and extend the shelf life by eliminating microorganisms and insects. We conducted seven focus group discussions  to assess consumer knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of food irradiation and identify barriers and facilitators to purchasing irradiated foods.
Speaker: Michael Ablan, Health Scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Marketing and Outcomes: A Method for Determining Effective Food Safety Outreach 
No matter what your organization’s outreach size or budget, it may produce an effective consumer food safety digital outreach campaign by leveraging marketing best practices and systems thinking.
Speakers: Julie V. Wood, Research and Teaching Specialist, FL Department of Agriculture; Joseph Smith III, Government Operations Consultant, FL Department of Agriculture and Hakeem Holmes, Government Operations Consultant, FL Department of Agriculture

Preparing Food Safety Resources for the Future Consumer 
The Food and Tech Advisory Council was a cross-sector collaboration between federal agencies, industry, academia, and consumer groups to serve as guidance for the Partnership for Food Safety Education and its network of partners and educators in developing a plan of action to support future consumer food safety education needs.
Speakers: Mari Schroeder, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Florida; Britanny Saunier, Executive Director, Partnership for Food Safety Education; Katie Weston, Program Manager, Partnership for Food Safety Education

Experiential Learning Builds Future Food & Nutrition Professionals’ Awareness of Food Waste 
Traditional approaches to food and nutrition education focus on the food that is eaten.  It is also important to consider what we do not eat. Discover food waste reduction experiential learning activities for community nutrition interns and the impact on future food and nutrition professionals.
Speaker: Kathy Savoie, Extension Professor, University of Maine Extension

Standard Operating Procedures to Reduce Food Waste in Prepared Foods in North Carolina 
This session will present a summary of the Standard Operating Procedures developed to provide a consistent, evidence-based set of guidelines in an effort to reduce food waste in the food recovery landscape.
Speakers: Ellen Shumaker, Extension Associate, NC State University 

11:15am - 12:30pm - Concurrent Track Sessions:

Ready or Not? Science and human behavior can take your food safety messaging to the next level! 
Join the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in exploring the science behind certain consumer behaviors in the kitchen, adherence to manufacturer cooking instructions, and the perceived risk associated with foodborne illnesses versus other safety hazards. 
Speaker: Aaron Lavallee, Deputy Assistant Administrator, USDA FSIS

North Central Food Safety Extension Network Reaches Thousands through Collaborative Efforts
This session provides information on the North Central Food Safety Extension Network’s efforts to deliver consumer food safety education through a bimonthly home food preservation newsletter, consumer food safety webinars, food entrepreneur webinars, and more. We will provide examples of working together to provide effective, evidence-based food safety information.
Speakers: Julie Garden-Robinson, Professor and Extension Specialist, North Dakota State University

Use of the Iterative Process to Develop Effective Food Safety Education Materials 
This session will discuss the iterative process and how it can be used to maximize efficacy of education materials prior to their completion. Participants will learn how to identify key stakeholders and end users and how their input in development of materials can result in more thoughtful and effective materials.
Speakers: Dr. Jennifer Quinlan, Professor, Nutrition Sciences, Drexel University; Dr. Barbara Chamberlin, Professor, Innovative Media Research and Extension and Director, Learning Games Lab, New Mexico State University; Pamela Martinez, Assistant Professor & Extension Learning Technology Specialist, New Mexico State University; and Britanny Saunier, Executive Director, Partnership for Food Safety Education

Preliminary results of an after school cooking club among low-income middle school youth 
Extension delivered an after-school cooking club to urban middle schoolers during the 2021-2022 school year using the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Sensory + Organization and Planning Toolkit; to provide inspiration for structuring cooking club activities, in addition to utilizing the social cognitive theory.  Educators successfully reached a new generation.
Speakers: Amy Callahan, Senior Agent Associate, University of Maryland Extension, SNAP-Ed Baltimore Project

Science-based Social Media as a Risk Communication Tool
This interactive workshop focuses on a theory-based approach to help science communicators tailor and refine their science-based communication strategies as well as identify ways to effectively expand their reach.
Speakers: Mary Yavelak, Extension Associate, NC State University; Candice Christian, Extension Associate, NC State University and Ellen Shumaker, Extension Associate, NC State University

Using mixed-method data to create tailored consumer food safety education content 
There is a dearth of consumer food safety education research to create tailored messages for specific demographics. This presentation will show the formative data CDC used to create communication products to disseminate messages. Attendees will also learn about what products have been created to reach people at higher risk.
Speakers: Sara Bresee, Health Communications Specialist, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, CDC and Kelsey Schwarz, Health Communications Specialist, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, CDC

Menu Selection on Food Safety among College Students Majoring in Agriculture and Nutrition based on Situational Factors and Beyond: A pilot study 
To understand how consumers perceive the possible risks of food choices at restaurants, a survey was developed. We used evocation protocol to mimic food choice situations in restaurants and evaluated decision-making towards safe food choice among two cohorts of college students who were more knowledgeable about food safety.
Speakers: Megan Mei Yee Low, Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue University, Keyshla M. Narváez-Dávila, Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue University and Alejandra Marcela Prado Jaramillo, Research Scholar, Purdue University

Maryland Food Ventures: Online and In-Person Workshop for Value-Added Producers 
Producers use value-added food products to extend the shelf-life of their raw products and to diversify their product offerings to increase sales. The development of the Maryland Food Ventures Curriculum (MFV), and support materials were designed to be equivalently presented as an in-person and online virtual self-paced workshop.
Speakers: Neith Little, Urban Agriculture Extension Educator, University of Maryland Extension

Developing a Recall Ready Community

Experts will discuss the current recall system and share insights into how consumers perceive recalls and what motivates them to take action in a recall scenario. You’ll feel empowered to support your community with their recall questions. 

Speakers: Mitzi Baum, CEO, Stop Foodborne Illness; William Hallman, Professor & Chair, Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers University; Reeba Roy, Consumer Safety Officer, CFSAN/FDA Office of Compliance/Recall and Product Conditioning Team; and Howard Popoola, Vice President Corporate Food Technology and Regulatory Compliance, The Kroger Company