Safe Aid Summary
Introduction to SafeAid program. Written by Montana State University Extension Food & Nutrition Specialist, Lynn C. Paul, EdD RD.

Booklet 1: Food Banks and Food-Borne Illness
Providing safe food is an important as providing food itself. A hungry person is more likely to consume food they wouldn't normally choose. If this food is unsafe, it can cause food-borne illness. Food-borne illness, which affects between 24 and 81 million people per year, can lead to serious discomfort, life-threatening complications, and even death.

Booklet 2: Sanitary Surroundings: Setting Up for Safe Food
How you set up and maintain your food bank determines how many routes bacteria have to invade and thrive. Information on how to safely maintain a food bank is given in Booklet 2 of the SafeAid series.

Booklet 3: Risk Management
Food Packaging is designed to protect food. Contamination occurs when damaged or opened packages expose food to bacteria, viruses, molds, insects, rodent droppings and urine, cleaning products and other toxics, broken glass, contaminated water or sewage, etc. Risk management deals with food safety, not food quality. Quality standards should be set up in addition to safety standards.

Booklet 4: Safe Food Handling
Careful food handling limits the ability of bacteria to grow and reproduce in food (and therefore to cause food-borne illness.)

Booklet 5: Re-packaging Bulk Foods
Re-packaging is considered a complex food preparation operation because it involves breaking quality control seals, physically handling the product (instead of just handling the package) and labeling information for product safety.

If you are interested in obtaining a hard copy of the complete SafeAid materials, please check out the Order Form.