It is the unfortunate reality that children are disproportionately affected by foodborne illness. According to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of the reported foodborne illnesses occur in children, with the majority of these cases occurring in children under 15 years of age. There are several reasons why children are at a higher risk for infection. Specifically, children have underdeveloped immune systems lacking the capacity to fight off severe infections, they have smaller bodies thereby reducing the amount of foodborne pathogens necessary to sicken them, and they have little to no control over what they eat.

To address this public health concern, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has already implemented several initiatives to promote food safety, particularly in schools and child care settings. However, Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, made an important announcement last week about a new effort to make food safer for kids.

According to a press release issued by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of USDA on April 14, 2011, Kansas State University will now be home to the Center of Excellence for Food Safety Research in Child Nutrition Programs, a research facility devoted solely to improving food safety for children.

Secretary Vilsack awarded the university a 2 year, $1.6 million grant in order to perform research on produce safety, examine existing school food safety programs, and develop education and training opportunities for school nutrition and child care employees. “Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our nation’s children and we must do everything we can to ensure that kids are being served safe, high quality meals,” said Vilsack.

FNS oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service, After School Snack Programs and the Child and Adult Care Feeding Programs. As the press release points out, “The National School Lunch Program is provided in over 101,000 public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions, serving over 31 million children each day.”   

The research performed at the Center will hopefully have a significant impact on the safety of child school nutrition programs across the U.S. and will reduce the number of foodborne illnesses that affect our most vulnerable population each year.

Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
Photo of Claire Mitchell Claire Mitchell

Claire received her J.D. degree from Hofstra University School of Law with a concentration in Energy and the Environment in May 2010. She received her B.A., majoring in English, from Villanova University, magna cum laude. During law school, Claire served as Articles Editor…

Claire received her J.D. degree from Hofstra University School of Law with a concentration in Energy and the Environment in May 2010. She received her B.A., majoring in English, from Villanova University, magna cum laude. During law school, Claire served as Articles Editor for the Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal, was elected President of the Legal Emergency Aid Project and elected Treasurer of Hofstra Law Women. She is currently pursuing an LL.M. degree in Food and Agricultural Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. In August 2010, Claire was selected as the recipient of the Marler Clark Graduate Assistantship, part of a new public/private partnership that will allow the University of Arkansas School of Law to partner with leaders in the food and agricultural legal communities. Although she began the LL.M. Program in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Claire is now living in Seattle in order to devote more time to her work at Marler Clark and is completing her LL.M. degree through distance learning. In addition to her academic and professional commitments, Claire blogs on Food Poison Journal and has been published in the Food and Drug Law Institute’s Update and the American Agricultural Law Association’s Update.