Non-profit's Halloween drawing contest helps kids prevent food safety frights from microscopic monsters

Arlington, VA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/08/2013 --Ghosts, ghouls, and goblins step aside! There are other fearsome fiends that will make your stomach turn this Halloween. You can’t see, smell, or taste them, but germs could be lurking in your food or on your hands, waiting to make you sick! The Partnership for Food Safety Education urges kids to enter the Franken BAC Monster Mash Halloween drawing contest to learn how to recognize these microscopic monsters and how to fight them off.

BAC (dangerous bacteria) has invited his germy friends, the 10 Least Wanted Pathogens, to a party. This gang of germs features the pathogenic villains behind many foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella, E.Coli 0157:H7, and Shigella. To fight them off, kids can arm themselves with educational tools from the Partnership for Food Safety Education, including the 10 Least Wanted Pathogens Poster and the Perfect Picnic Game for iOS.

To enter Franken BAC’s Monster Mash drawing contest, kids must complete two challenges to demonstrate their knowledge of foodborne pathogens:

- Draw their spooky interpretations of one of the 10 Least Wanted Pathogens
- Answer questions about the source of their chosen pathogen and how to keep it away from their food and off of their hands

Three eligible entries from kids under 12 will be chosen to win $50 gift cards. The deadline is October 31st, 2013. Visit http://www.fightbac.org/kids/halloween-drawing-contest for full rules, instructions, and contest forms.

Don’t let Franken BAC and his germy friends pull a Halloween trick on you! Always Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

The Partnership for Food Safety Education is committed to engaging kids and parents in learning about preventing foodborne illness. The Partnership has recently released Kids’ Home Food Safety Mythbusters, the Perfect Picnic Game for iOS, and the “Fight BAC!® at Picnic Park” food safety education program. Educators, parents, and kids can download educational materials for free at http://www.fightbac.org.

About the Partnership for Food Safety Education
The Partnership for Food Safety Education is the originator of science-based food safety messages and the national leader in developing and disseminating information around the linkage of food safety consumer education with positive health outcomes. Food safety and health educators and consumers can download free food safety education information from the Partnership’s website at http://www.fightbac.org, recognized in 2013 as a Parents’ Choice Approved winner.

The Partnership unites representatives from the food industry, professional societies in food science, nutrition and health consumer groups, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration to educate the public about preventing foodborne illness.

The Partnership is supported by the Food Marketing Institute, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, NSF International, the Produce Marketing Association, ServSafe, and Cargill among other leading industry associations, professional societies in food science, nutrition and health, and consumer groups.