News for Educators July Edition

Food Safety

You and your clients might have questions about how to shop safely when buying groceries during the pandemic. There is currently no evidence of human or animal food or food packaging being associated with transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but it is still important to follow food safety practices. We encourage you to keep these ten steps in mind to help protect yourself, grocery store workers, and other shoppers.  

Nutrition

For educators, summer is a great time to explore new ways to incorporate nutrition-based lessons into the classroom for the coming year. FDA has a collection of materials that will help you engage students at their desks and online, using the new Nutrition Facts label as the starting point. Be sure to check your Nutrition Facts label lessons to make sure they are referring to the updated label that was implemented in 2020.

• Science and Our Food Supply is a collection of free supplementary curriculums designed for middle and high school teachers that fit easily into science, health, and other class lesson plans.
• Read the Label challenges kids ages 9 to 13 to look for and use the Nutrition Facts label on food and beverage packages.
• The Interactive Nutrition Facts Label allows students to explore the updated label online and is helpful for virtual learning.
• The New Nutrition Facts Label: What’s In it For You? campaign includes fact sheets and videos that make it easy to teach students about the recent changes to the Nutrition Facts label.

Cosmetics and Colors

Staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a renewed interest in the development of homemade cosmetic products. As a result, FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors (OCAC) has seen an increase in requests for information about how these products are regulated. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act does not require FDA pre-market approval of cosmetic products and ingredients, other than most color additives. However, there are additional laws and regulations that apply to the retail marketing of cosmetics to consumers, even if they are homemade. Whether you are considering starting a small business, or if you are interested in purchasing homemade cosmetics from a small business, we encourage you to review OCAC’s Small Business and Homemade Cosmetics: Fact Sheet to get answers to frequently asked questions about cosmetic products, and to learn more about how FDA regulates cosmetics.

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Safe Recipe Contest

The Partnership for Food Safety Education is sponsoring a 30-Minute Meals Safe Recipe Contest. Create a main course recipe that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less—and make sure it incorporates all necessary food safety steps from the Safe Recipe Style Guide. Enter before August 17 to be eligible to win one of four prizes, including a cash prize and the chance to see your work shared with thousands in an online cookbook. We look forward to seeing your safe, delicious recipes. Good luck!