July 2019 News for Educators

July 2019 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!

Food Safety Outdoor Food Safety Warm summer weather offers lots of opportunities for picnics and barbeques with family and friends. But the warmer temperatures also give foodborne bacteria the chance to thrive. That’s why outdoor food safety is critical. Safe food handling is important not only when preparing food but also when transporting and serving it. Spread the word about cooking and eating outdoors safely with these food facts for eating outdoors.

Nutrition Read The Label Summer can be hot, so check out the Cool Tips for Kids and other resources from the Read the Label. This tailored portfolio of materials, includes targeted education and community outreach to help you teach children and families about the updated Nutrition Facts label. With National Childhood Obesity Month in September, it is important to remind children and parents that the food choices they make can greatly impact their overall health. Read the Label offers fun, easy tips for children and parents to make informed food choices that contribute to lifelong healthy eating habits.

Cosmetics Using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher is an important way to help protect yourself from the sun. With sunscreens now being used more often, in larger amounts, and by more people, it is more important than ever to ensure that sunscreens are safe and effective for daily, lifelong use. FDA has recently taken two actions toward this goal. FDA issued a proposed rule to update the requirements for sunscreen products. It addresses ingredient safety, dosage forms, and SPF and broad-spectrum protection, among other things. It also proposes updates to how products are labeled to make it easier for consumers to identify key information. FDA published an article in JAMA describing the results of a pilot study that found that sunscreen active ingredients can be absorbed through the skin and into the body. This does not mean the ingredients are unsafe. Rather, this finding calls for further testing to determine the safety of each ingredient when used repeatedly.

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