CHICAGO, IL — May 5, 2002 — Reinforcing key food safety messages and practices is the objective of Fight BAC! It’s Worth the Time, a new food safety education campaign launched today by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Foundation. The program was unveiled on the opening day of the 2002 FMI Show being held here.

Featuring images from the Fight BAC! food safety consumer education program, the signage contains attention-grabbing messages that remind associates of the day-to-day practices that reduce risk factors in four areas: time/temperature control, personal hygiene, cross contamination and equipment sanitizing. In order to keep the program fresh, the signage will be rolled out in four kits, one every six months, each with a new group of messages. They are available in English and Spanish.

The launch of the campaign follows pilot tests in several FMI member stores.

“The signage is very bright and noticeable – different from anything I’ve seen,” said Bill MacAloney, Chairman and CEO of Jax Markets in Anaheim, California, one of the test participants. “The striking visuals are a great bridge from the verbal training.”

The FMI Foundation will feature the new campaign in a special Category Close-Up session on Monday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m. in the South Hall of McCormick Place. Details will also be available at the FMI Membership Suite throughout the show, and at the Foundation Web site(www.fmi.org/foundation) following the show.