Understanding Cooking and Nutrition (U-CAN) 1
Lesson #1 Food Safety
Objective: Discover various ways that students can keep food safe and prevent foodborne
illness. Identify a quick hand washing technique for a large group.
Key Message: Handle foods safely.
Set up/visual: Set up: Fight BAC poster, Food Borne Illness poster, SpinQuest Wheel with Food
safety game questions with Key, one copy per student of the Cold Pizza for Breakfast flyer, Ecoli stuffed germ puppet. Arrange, in advance, to show video with classroom media. Hand out
Resource Packets (NEP folder) Students put names on folder and stow them in the classroom
between lessons.
Introduction (5 minutes):
Ask the class: “Why do you think food safety is important?” “What are some things that we
can do to make sure that we prepare, serve and store food safely?”
Content/Activity (30 minutes):
Activity #1: Cold Pizza for Breakfast Quiz Show. Arrange students into four or five groups of 5-6.
1. Provide Resource Packet for the activity
a. Give each student a packet/folder and have them put their first/last name on it (see
supplies). Inform them that these folders will be theirs to keep after the last
nutrition lesson, but for now they will be collected after each class (see supplies for
contents to include in folders).
2. Hand out the Cold Pizza for Breakfast flyer.
a. Have students read aloud using volunteers or “Popcorn” reading technique
(students read as long as they like, but can stop at any time and say “Popcorn” and
choose another student to continue reading).
b. To engage all of the students have them underline major facts. You can stop the
reading at natural breaks to ask students to share major facts or to reinforce a major
fact and ask them to underline it.
c. Use the E-coli stuffed germ to illustrate discussion or to choose the next reader (or
spinner in the section 3). (10-15 minutes)
3. Set-up SpinQuest-type Wheel in front of class
a. Using “Food Safety Quiz” developed from Cold Pizza for Breakfast flyer, questions
should be pre-arranged on wheel using bright paper in food group colors for
background. Remove the question once an answer has been given.
4. Call on individual students or groups (depending on students and instructor’s preference)
a. Have a student spin the wheel and read the question out loud
b. Student can answer question or consult with group to answer question
c. Correct answer can be rewarded with a nutrition reinforcement* or the group with
the most correct answers can each choose a nutrition reinforcement.
d. Discuss and clarify questions and food safety topics as appropriate during game. (1015 minutes)
e. After the game, provide students with a Germbuster sticker to certify them food
safety “experts!”
Activity #2: Glitter Buddy/High Speed Hand Washing (20-25 minutes)
1) Show video clips (Title 1, Chapters 1, 2, 10, 11) from Hand Washing Close Up video (from
Glitter Buddy) to demonstrate proper hand washing (especially recommended when the
bathroom is the only hand washing facility available).
a) After watching video clips, ask students to explain the importance of proper hand
washing and reiterate the techniques observed in the video.
2) Use High Speed Hand Washing lesson with Glitter Buddy Activity. Refer to Fight BAC and
Food Borne Illness posters.
Closing (5 minutes):
Ask: How can you help to prevent foodborne illness?
State: Objective and Key Message from above
Extended Learning Suggestions:
 Practice High Speed Hand Washing in class.
 Investigate and report on types of Foodborne Illness.
 Calculate the amount of bacteria that are produced in one hour, four hours, eight hours
and 12 hours, if one bacterium doubles every 20 minutes.
Oregon Standards for 2013-14 School Year:
Health Skills and Concepts Instruction: Demonstrate safe food preparation and storage
practices (Self-Management). Advocate for the use of proper food purchasing, preparation and
storage to keep food safe (Advocacy).
Supplies and Equipment needed for the Activities in U-CAN 1 Food Safety
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Add to Resource packet:
 Copies for each student: Cold Pizza for Breakfast at
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/foodSafT.pdf
 NEP Adult folder for each student. Take black sharpie so students can write names on
their folders.
Foodborne Illness and Fight BAC poster, E-coli stuffed germ puppet, GlitterBuddy Kit,
Germbusters stickers, Hand Washing Close Up video from http://www.brevis.com/cgibin/catalog.cgi
High speed hand washing lesson plan
Food Safety Game Questions and Answer Key at
SpinQuest-type Wheel from http://NASCO.com/fch WA19478H
Suggested variety of Nutrition Reinforcements* for Food Safety Game: 8-10 items for the
winning team such as bracelets with Food Safety or Nutrition (WA29646H) message; Fruit
& Veggie More Matters Grocery Pads (PBH); Water Bottles; Pencils or Pens with Nutrition
Message (PBH or Mello Smello); FVMM Key Chains (PBH). Sources: Produce for Better
Health, Mello Smello/Mission Nutrition, Nasco
2013 Oregon State University. OSU Extension Service cooperating. Adapted by Stephanie Russell, RD, LD, Faculty/Instructor and Glenda
Hyde, Faculty/Instructor, Deschutes County.Oregon State University Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials
without discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, or veteran’s status. Oregon State University Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer.