Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
9/11/02
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Dan Henroid, Family and Consumer Sciences, (515) 294-7549, dhenroid@iastate.edu
Diane Nelson, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-3178,
dinelson@iastate.edu
National Food Safety Information Web Site Debuts at Farm Progress Show
AMES, Iowa - Sept. 12, 2002 - An Iowa State University Extension research team will debut a new food safety information web site at the 2002 Farm Progress Show. The site, funded by a United States Department of Agriculture grant, is unique in that all of its content is based on the most current food safety information.
"This site has answers to more than 500 of the most commonly asked food safety questions," said Dan Henroid, Iowa State University food safety extension specialist and site development director. "This site brings together the expertise of universities, federal and state government, trade associations, and the food industry to give people one centralized, up-to-date source for research-based food safety information."
The site, www.FoodSafetyAnswers.org, combines interactive search tools and topic-specific browsing to give information seekers answers any time of the day. If the online question and answer database does not fulfill the visitors' needs, they will eventually be able to submit questions to a national food safety expert for advice.
"A significant advantage of having this information database on the Internet is that people have access to food safety information when they need it, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Henroid said. "If for some reason the site does not have what site visitors need, they will be able to send their questions to one of our national food safety experts to be answered."
The site targets two primary audiences - consumers and foodservice personnel - because some of the information is minutely different for in-home food preparation than it is for commercial foodservice institutions. "Iowa State University is proud to be coordinating www.FoodSafetyAnswers.org, a site vital to food safety education," said Henroid. "We were awarded this grant because of our reputation for proactive consumer- and foodservice-oriented food safety education. This site, a collaborative effort among the leading food safety organizations and personnel from across the United States, exemplifies Iowa State University's dedication to a safe and wholesome food supply."
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