Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food Safety from Farm to Table

Time to review and summarize. 

1. 

What are some things you  

discovered about supermarket food 

safety that you didn’t know? 

2. 

What do you think science has to  

do with supermarket food safety? 

3. 

What’s one of the most important 

things an employee can do to  

prevent foodborne illness?  

(Wash his/her hands.) 

4. 

Whose responsibility is it to  

keep food safe once the food is  

purchased? (The customers.) 

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MIDDLE LEVEL

Food safety is an important aspect of designing and 

managing a supermarket. There are strict regulations 

governing foodservice, and the regulations are 

science-based. Everyone has responsibility for food 

safety — managers, employees, and customers. 

Supermarkets 

• 

Interview a local supermarket manager and find out how he 

or she ensures food safety. 

• 

Create an FBI Case scenario about what happens to the food 

between the time you take it out of the supermarket and 

get it home. Build in at least three 4 C violations. You can 

also try to identify the violations and then propose a plan for 

minimizing the risk. 

• 

Trace a food through the supermarket. How is it kept safe 

until you purchase it? How many times is it touched, and by 

whom? Is there a way to ensure that all those who touch the 

food have clean hands? Report your findings. 

RESOURCES

• 

Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide (See the  

following terms — Bacteria, “Best If Used By” Date, 

Cold Chain, Contamination, Expiration Date, Foodborne 

Illness, Food Code, Food Inspection, Food Safety, Food 

Thermometer, Handwashing, Hazard Analysis and Critical 

Control Point, Pathogen, Perishable, Refrigeration, “Sell 

By” Date, “Use By” Date, Shelf Stable, and Sanitation.) 

Also see the 4 Cs section on pages 52-57, and The Safe 

Food Chart on pages 62-69. 

• 

Dr. X and the Quest for Food Safety video  

Module 4 — Retail and Home  

• 

Websites: 

The Consumer Control Point Kitchen/Iowa State  

University: www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/

educators/ccp.cfm?articleID=62&parent=2 

Food Marketing Institute (FMI): www.fmi.org 

Food Code/Food and Drug Administration: www.fda gov/ 

foodcode

Food Business Safety: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/

eh/food/index.html

International Food Safety Council/National Restaurant  

Association (NRA): www.restaurant.org 

The National Sanitation Foundation: www.nsf.org

UP NEXT

Now that you have managed your own 

supermarket department, let’s see how 

well you do in the kitchen. Find out 

what’s cooking in the next lab activity! 

EXTENSIONS