Learn (and Win!) with Food Day and Stop Foodborne Illness
By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 20, 2011 8:20PM
Oct. 24 is the first ever "Food Day." Food Day hopes to become the next Earth Day: a holiday to create awareness about the many social, political and environmental issues surrounding food. Familiar food names like Michael Pollan and Morgan Spurlock have joined up and aldermen and congressmen have given their support. Activities are going on all over the city (check the website and do a ZIP code search for more details) and the city has issued an official proclamation, but we're particularly excited for one event: Stop Foodborne Illness is holding a trivia contest and giveaway in front of the Hancock Building from 7 a.m. - 10 a.m. Monday.
Foodborne Illness is a huge problem in America. Stop Foodborne Illness (formerly Safe Tables Our Priority) was founded in the wake of the mid-nineties E. Coli 0157:h7 outbreak and has been working since then to ensure safety in the American food supply.
As part of Food Day, Stop Foodborne Illness will be camped out outside of the Hancock building with a huge spinner wheel. If you answer a trivia question about food safety, you'll get to spin the wheel for great prizes. These aren't brochures and cardboard rulers - the list includes prizes from Thermos and Rubbermaid, free meat thermometers and cooking timers, and gift certificates from Uncommon Ground and the Palmer House. A year's supply of eggs! Tons of great stuff.
It gets better for you, loyal reader. If you mention that you heard about the event on Chicagoist, you get an extra spin on the wheel (and an extra prize).
EVEN better: take a stab at the two questions below. If you get them right (and, honestly, if you don't get them right) you can enter below to win a food safety gift basket. The basket contains (at least): a STOP Foodborne Illness t-shirt & bag, a Home Food Safety grocery tote, a Thermos brand vacuum insulated 1-oz food jar, a Chef’n palm held vegetable peeler, a Zyliss swiss innovation dessert knife, a Maverick digital roasting thermometer, a Magic Grip jar opener, a NSF refrigerator thermometer and more. Way more.
1) How many people become ill each year because of Foodborne Illness?
a. 3,000
b. 128,000
c. 48,000,000
2.) What % of antibiotics sold in the United States are given to people compared to animals?
a. Humans are given 80% of antibiotic sold in the United States.
b. Humans are given 50% of antibiotics sold in the United States.
c. Humans are given 20% of antibiotics sold in the United States.
d. Animals aren’t given antibiotics! Humans receive 100% of antibiotics sold in the US.
Answers:
1) C. A is how many people die each year of foodborne illness, B is how many are hospitalized. 1 in 6 Americans will get a foodborne illness ever year.
2) C. 80% of the antibiotics sold in the United States are given to animals.
Did you get them? Either way, enter the contest.
Good luck! We'll do the drawing at noon on Monday.