Case Scenario:
A series of recent articles in the local newspaper asserts that food pantries have empty shelves and soup kitchens do not have enough meals to feed the number of patrons who need their services. The president of the dietetics club at a nearby college decides to ask the professor in charge of the foods laboratory what is done with the leftover prepared and unprepared food from all the food courses (basic foods, cultural foods, and experimental foods). Unfortunately, the response indicates that all leftover food is discarded daily and that leftover nonperishable food is discarded at the end of the semester.
This is astonishing to the student, who was very moved by the news articles regarding hunger among local residents. Because she has learned about food insecurity in her courses, she knows that she must find a way to take action. She decides to mobilize her fellow nutrition students to promote a new policy for the foods courses that would result in distributing leftover food, both perishable and nonperishable, to the local food pantries and soup kitchens.
Initially, this seems to be a simple task. She proposes that all recipes be doubled to ensure that there are perishable leftovers to be distributed. All leftovers can be wrapped and refrigerated. Leftover nonperishables will be collected in a box or crate for distribution to either pantries or soup kitchens. Deliveries would be three times per week, and students would be required to assume this responsibility on a rotating schedule. It would be a service-learning activity required in the program. The club would make the delivery schedule and distribute the schedule in classes and electronically.
The student prepares a written proposal, which she submits to the chair of the Nutrition Department. The chair is impressed with the proposal and arranges a meeting with the student to congratulate her on her increasing awareness of the connection between dietetics and hunger, but also to raise the following questions of the student:
1. What is the food safety issues associated with distribution of prepared and nonperishable food items?
2. Do the food pantries and soup kitchens have an existing written policy on accepting food?
3. Does the state's Department of Health have a policy on accepting prepared food?
4. Does the government have a policy or guidelines on recycling food? Which government agency addresses this issue? Is it a federal or a state body?
5. Is there a written policy in the Nutrition Department's foods laboratory manual on this issue? If not, are you prepared to write one?
6. Where will funds come from to double recipes? Are there ways that the Dietetics Club could fund the increase in ingredient purchases?
The student is overwhelmed that a "simple" idea could generate so many questions. She needs to answer the questions in preparation for a follow-up meeting with the entire faculty.
Research
Access the latest position paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on food insecurity in the United States, and review the article "Highlights from the 2017 FDA Food Code." As a member, you can access position papers at www.eatrightpro.org.
Access government documents on the Internet related to food safety:
Consumer Research Studies
Food Safety Research Information Office
Food Safety and Inspection Service
National Food Safety Programs
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Food Safety Office
1. Identify why food safety is a critical issue to food distribution in a community setting.
2. Identify groups of people that are at a higher risk of contracting a foodborne illness. What are the top five factors related to human food-preparation behaviors that cause foodborne illness?
3. Outline the components of the policymaking cycle and the basic steps involved in the process of policymaking associated with these components.
4. Consult experts and/or explore literature, both online and offline, to createe a list of food safety issues that may arise from food distribution in any type of community setting; if you are familiar with ServSafe, consider any of these guidelines.
5. Explain how commodity-based food distribution of both raw and prepared food can violate food safety parameters specific to the student's proposed service in the above scenario.
6. With the goal of distributing food to hungry individuals and to ensure that food safety is an integral component of any food distribution plan, createe a comprehensive list of food safety measures that are required. If applicable, prioritize the measures.
7. Prepare a written policy for food distribution. Include the steps that will be taken to ensure safety.
8. Identify any limitations of the new policy. Consider budget implications to the department, and determine how the Dietetics Club could be involved.
9. Devise an implementation plan for the new policy to make sure that all faculty teaching food courses are aware of the food distribution guidelines.
10. Identify three indicators to assess whether the food being distributed is appropriate for, safe to, and usable by to the community.