In response to increasing usage of food delivery services, and as National Food Safety Education Month kicks off, the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) has launched a new national campaign to help food delivery users ensure the safety of their delivered foods. The campaign, entitled "Prep Yourself: Food is on the Way," is the first national food safety campaign to specifically target users of food delivery services, and it seeks to encourage safe food handling at home and to educate consumers on what to consider when ordering from these types of services.

Food delivery services can include meal kits, restaurant delivery, or grocery delivery. In an April 2020 survey conducted by Statista, over one-third of both suburban and urban respondents said they used online food delivery services or restaurant apps to order food. According to the 2021 Food and Health Survey conducted by the International Food Information Council, 72 percent of Americans say the pandemic is changing the way they eat and prepare food. This study also showed that 42 percent of consumers are shopping for groceries online at least monthly.

“Where consumers get their food has changed, from around the corner to around the world. With foods now delivered to their homes by a variety of delivery models, empowering consumers with the knowledge they need to keep their families safe is key to the prevention of foodborne illnesses and a central tenet of FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety,” said Frank Yiannas, deputy commissioner for food policy and response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “We are grateful for the good work done by the Partnership for Food Safety Education to provide consumers with food safety educational messages during these changing times.”

The "Prep Yourself: Food is on the Way" campaign includes digital advertising, social media, and print collateral that can be integrated into food delivery service provider communications or other food safety educator communications. With a suite of downloadable resources, PFSE encourages anyone who is interested in communicating about food safety in the delivery space to access the free materials. PFSE will be utilizing the campaign resources throughout the month of September 2021, National Food Safety Education Month, and beyond.

“The food industry needs resources to help communicate with consumers amid this changing landscape,” said Steven Mandernach of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). “PFSE’s new Prep Yourself campaign will help food safety experts and other people who deal with consumers in the food safety space reach consumers with important information about how to keep food safe at home. We’re in a new era of food safety, and it requires that everyone understand their role in maintaining the safety of our food from the farm to our tables.”

The Partnership for Food Safety Education would like to thank AFDO, Instacart, and Sysco for their support of "Prep Yourself: Food Is on the Way."