A LITTLE HAND SOAP, a thermometer and some public awareness could help prevent millions of illnesses in the United States each year. One OARDC researcher is helping to spread this message with innovative food safety education programs.

Lydia Medeiros has led research into specific behaviors linked to food-borne illness, such as not washing your hands or not using a meat thermometer. She has been instrumental in bringing a variety of educational programs to home cooks and restaurateurs alike, showing the importance of food-safety procedures often taken for granted.

"The emphasis definitely needs to be on the basics, like hand-washing and how to use a thermometer," Medeiros said. "People will generally tell you that they do wash their hands before they eat, but we found by videotaping them that they don't do it properly. And we've found that people will simply not use a thermometer — they feel it is not necessary. They don't understand that these are absolutely essential behaviors."

Medeiros' research led to the development of two national Extension programs launched in Ohio. "Keep Food Safe" was designed for the home cook and "Occasional Quantity Cook" was designed for volunteers who occasionally cook for large groups. Both programs use Medeiros' research to emphasize behaviors that can reduce the incidence of food-borne illness. ServSafe, a program designed by the National Restaurant Association, reflects the same principles and has already reached nearly 1,000 participants in Ohio.

"It really feels good to apply these research findings and create a curriculum that directly implements them," said Medeiros. "Knowing that somebody might not get sick because we've been able to teach them something — that's really cool."