National Food Safety Education Month

National Food Safety Education Month is observed throughout September as a time to promote awareness, knowledge, and practical habits that help keep food safe from preparation to serving. The observance highlights the importance of preventing foodborne illness and encourages everyone—from home cooks and families to food service professionals—to learn more about safe handling practices.

Throughout the month, people are encouraged to focus on essential steps such as washing hands and surfaces, keeping raw and ready-to-eat foods separate, cooking foods thoroughly, and refrigerating perishable items promptly. National Food Safety Education Month offers a welcoming opportunity to build confidence in the kitchen, share reliable food safety information, and help create healthier communities through simple, everyday choices.

National Food Safety Education Month is observed throughout September to promote awareness of the practices that help prevent foodborne illness. The observance emerged in the United States in 1994 through the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, now known as the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). It was created primarily to support restaurant and foodservice professionals with continuing education on sanitation, employee training, safe food handling, and the prevention of contamination.

From its beginnings, the campaign reflected the growing understanding that food safety depends not only on government regulation, but also on everyday decisions made by food workers, managers, educators, and consumers. Training traditionally emphasizes core principles such as personal hygiene, preventing cross-contamination, controlling time and temperature, cleaning and sanitizing equipment, and responding appropriately when illness may place others at risk. These subjects align with broader public-health efforts led by agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over time, National Food Safety Education Month has evolved from a primarily industry-focused training initiative into a broader educational observance. Restaurants, schools, hospitals, colleges, public-health departments, and professional organizations have used September to distribute educational materials, organize staff instruction, review food-safety procedures, and reinforce standards for receiving, storing, preparing, and serving food. Contemporary messaging also recognizes changing food systems, including increased takeout and delivery, food-allergy awareness, complex supply chains, and the need for clear communication between businesses and the public.

The observance has cultural significance because food safety is a shared community responsibility. Safe meals protect customers, workers, families, and especially people more vulnerable to severe foodborne illness, including young children, older adults, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems. By dedicating the entire month of September to education, the campaign presents food safety as an ongoing habit rather than a one-time compliance exercise, connecting professional training with household practices and reinforcing public confidence in the foodservice system.