07/13/2009

Ohio State and Kroger Offer Food Safety Hotline

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
614-292-9833

Source:

Stephanie Smith, Center for Innovative Food Technology
ssmith@eisc.org
419-708-5647

Valente Alvarez, Food Industries Center
alvarez.23@osu.edu
614-688-4961

Ken Lee, Food Science and Technology
lee.133@osu.edu
614-292-7797

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Consumers with food safety questions often don't know where to turn for reliable answers. Now, thanks to a new partnership between The Kroger Co. and the Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT), consumers are being encouraged to contact Ohio State University Extension's Food Safety Hotline at 1-800-752-2751 (toll-free in Ohio), available between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The hotline has been operated since 1985 by Ohio State's Food Industries Center. Now, a grant from CIFT, with support from Kroger, has allowed the university to hire a team of students to respond to consumer questions. The students are supported by personnel from Ohio State's Food Industries Center and faculty experts from the Department of Food Science and Technology, Department of Human Nutrition, and OSU Extension. After hours, consumers can leave a message and phone number to get a response.

Stephanie Smith, food scientist with CIFT, is coordinating the effort, which is housed in Ohio State's Food Industries Center. She said two students and a recent graduate, all of whom have received food safety training, are staffing the phone line.

"We've had callers wondering about recalled products -- cookie dough and pistachios -- and I expect more calls on a wide variety of topics as word gets around about the hotline," Smith said. "I think this kind of service is especially important for people who don't have easy access to the Internet -- they can just place a call and talk with a real person about their food safety concerns."

The students also have other duties, Smith said.

"When they're not busy, they are building a database of frequently -- and not-so-frequently -- asked questions, about grilling, home canning, recalls, pregnancy-related safety questions -- all sorts of topics." The database will be used to help provide quick answers to future questions, she said.

Valente Alvarez, director of Ohio State's Food Industries Center, said he is pleased the hotline is able to offer factual information on food safety to consumers. "Sometimes people can get the wrong information and might be misled about proper food handling," he said. "The hotline serves as a reliable, accurate source of information."

Ken Lee, director of Ohio State's Center for Food Safety and Security, is glad the hotline is gaining a higher profile.

"Our Ohio State food safety hotline has been in continuous operation for more than two decades," Lee said. "Public contact was mostly by word of mouth, but now we have the marketing capabilities of a major food retailer to help educate consumers."

The new funding from Kroger is part of the company's Food Safety Awareness Campaign. Kroger also offers food safety messages and brochures in its stores, which includes a chart for safe cooking temperatures for meats and other foods.

"The hotline is a great opportunity for consumers to quickly gain the information they seek about food safety," said Bruce Macaulay, president of Kroger's Columbus Division. "We feel it's important to emphasize how to safely handle and prepare food -- especially fresh meat -- during the summer grilling and picnicking season when consumers may prepare and serve foods outdoors."

For more information about preparing and handling food safely, call the Food Safety Hotline at 1-800-752-2751.

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