Competency+3

=**Describe the role of agencies, advisory bodies, and professional organizations responsible for development and dissemination of technical information and for formulation of nutritional policies (CEPH).**= ===**This case study, Food Safety as a Policy Issue, examined issues involved in food safety and establishing a food recovery policy and program. I worked with four classmates to complete this. I was responsible for Step 3: Draw and Implement Conclusions; prepare a written policy for food distribution **. ===



1. How does this piece/sample relate to the competency?
 * Foodborne illnesses are prevalent: there are 76 million cases yearly causing 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. This is not a trivial problem: many of the foodborne illnesses have devastating effects, including permanent disability and death. The current system is in desperate need of revision and overhaul; food safety and monitoring must be preventative, not reactive. Higher standards are necessary to protect our food supply. This case study, Food Safety as a Policy Issue, outlines the necessary steps in handling food correctly and illustrates how to develop a community food policy.

2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this piece/sample?
 * Food safety and food policy are vast, complicated topics. As a group, I think we covered the basics pretty well.
 * An area of weakness is that we included the general information, but could have been more specific in terms of a community kitchen's needs.

3. What did I learn from reviewing and reflecting on this piece/sample?
 * While working on this, I learned about food rescue programs and the many issues involved in food recovery and food program policy. Establishing such a program is a complicated task, especially to ensure that the food is safe. This requires many different steps and check points. I am especially interested in Prepared and Perishable Food Programs (PPFP). We produce an enormous amount of food in the US and also waste a tremendous amount of it. More than a quarter of America’s food, 96 billion pounds, goes to waste every year (1). Food recovery not only feeds the hungry, but reduces the negative effect of waste on the environment. Food waste reduction feeds people first, then animals, then recycling, then composting. Tons of waste can be recycled rather than going to landfills.

1. [|Waste Not/Want Not: Feeding the Hungry and Reducing Solid Waste Through Food Recovery]. ﻿ U .S.Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed October 25, 2010 at []| 1.

4. What do I need to work on in the future to more fully meet this competency?
 * I would like to be involved in community food recovery programs and community food safety. National policy has recently established stronger legislative standards for protecting our food supply: the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510) has just been passed in the Senate. On a local level, there is still much to be done. Food rescue programs can have a significant impact on hunger and food insecurity. My future plans include addressing these issues.