FDA/CFSAN's News for Educators – April 2018

Welcome to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s (CFSAN) News for Educators! Check out our latest information and materials for educating your consumer groups. We also encourage you to share this update and invite your colleagues to sign up for future issues!

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Food Safety

FDA Updates Food Safety for Moms-to-Be

Each year in the United States, foodborne illness accounts for 48 million gastrointestinal illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths. Risks from foodborne illness are particularly serious for pregnant women and their unborn babies and can cause serious health problems, premature delivery, miscarriage, and even death.

Moms-to-be look to you for up-to-date advice on what foods they should eat and what foods they should avoid to keep themselves and their babies healthy. FDA has updated resources to help women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, including:

• Updated fish consumption advice reflecting the 2017 FDA-EPA revised advice.
• A new Dietary Advice for Moms-to-Be page. This page also includes links to FDA’s current advice for pregnant women on getting enough folic acid, eating fish, and eating grains like rice.
• Updated educator materials for prenatal and childbirth healthcare professionals.
• Information about toxoplasmosis and Listeria, including updated statistics and an updated Community Educator’s Guide in English and Spanish.

Check out all of FDA’s resources for pregnant women on the updated Food Safety for Moms-to-Be web pages!

Nutrition

Updated: CFSAN Education Resource Library and Nutrition Resources

We have transformed our Education Resource Library into a catalog of nearly 300 publications and videos covering food safety, nutrition, cosmetic safety, dietary supplements, and industry information, including food defense. The Library makes it easier to quickly find, download, and order resources to fit your needs.

Using the Library is easy! Scroll through alphabetically, or filter the list by subject, audience, format, interactivity, or audio component. For example, you can use the Library to find resources for your patients who are interested in dietary supplements by selecting “Nutrition” under “Subjects,” “Consumers/General Public” under “Audiences,” and clicking “Apply” at the bottom. Multiple resources will appear, including Dietary Supplements, a handout explaining what dietary supplements are, the benefits and risks of taking them, and who is responsible for their safety. Download the PDF or order copies of the resource (if available in print) following the prompts. It’s that easy!

Best of all, the Education Resource Library is free to use!