Be Food Safe is the new identity for promoting food safety in products and services, throughout the food chain in Canada. Based on the key messages of clean, separate, cook and chill, the new logos and colours are designed attract attention and maintain a common look and feel across the food supply spectrum. Grocery shoppers that were surveyed reacted positively to the new Be Food Safe icons and endorsed the idea of placing these icons on food packaging, and of making the information sheets as accessible as possible, including in grocery stores, community centres and other places they frequent on a regular basis. Consumers all over believe it is “very important” to educate the public on safe food handling practices. The Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education, the body behind the Be Food Safe campaign, created this creative educational platform with input from consumers and food companies. Members of the Partnership have an opportunity to license the colourful, consumer tested, Be Food Safe platform for use in internal and external communication programming. Using the same graphics, across providers and up and down the supply chain, will give them greater impact. Be Food Safe The four easy lessons of clean, separate, cook and chill can prevent harmful bacteria from making your family sick. Clean Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get on hands, cutting boards, knives, and counter tops. Frequent cleaning can keep that from happening. And always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Separate Cross-contamination is how harmful bacteria spread. Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood and their juices away from foods that won’t be cooked. Cook Even for experienced cooks, the improper heating and preparation of food means bacteria can survive. Use a food thermometer – you can’t tell if food is cooked safely by how it looks. Chill Bacteria multiply fastest at temperatures between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F), so chilling food properly is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Research findings by the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education reveal that despite the fact that a majority of adults feel confident they understand and follow safe food handling procedures, a sizeable number do not consistently follow certain safe food handling practices. Some examples:

• Only 15% of people consistently use a food thermometer. Using a food thermometer is important – you can’t tell food has been cooked safely by how it looks.
• Over half of people say they defrost meat and poultry at room temperature at least “sometimes.” This practice can allow bacteria to grow on food.
• Only 50% of consumers reported washing their hands for 20 seconds, before and after handling food. Clean hands and surfaces often to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.