- 5 weeks ago
The 25-minute educational video and teaching kit released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service in 1990.Program OverviewTarget Audience: High school and secondary students in health, science, and home economics classes.Core Goal: To teach teenagers safe food handling practices and the prevention of foodborne illness.The "Evil Chef" Memory: The video is widely remembered by 90s students for its dramatic stylistic choices—including a creepy, stylized video effect overlay of a chef laughing maniacally and holding a knife to illustrate the hidden dangers of contaminated food.Key Concepts TaughtThe Danger Zone Definition: The temperature range between 40°F and 140°F where harmful bacteria multiply rapidly.The Two-Hour Rule: Perishable foods should never sit at room temperature in the danger zone for more than two (or four, depending on updated regional guidelines) hours.Safe Habits: Emphasizes proper cooking temperatures, chilling leftovers promptly, and avoiding cross-contamination.
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LearningTranscript
00:14Like everybody else, I thought I was smart, but I didn't see the danger until the very last minute.
00:21We were looking for a place to hold the science fair dinner, and none of us was looking for faster.
00:26Hello?
00:33Is anyone here?
00:37Hello?
00:38Ms. Temple tried to warn us, but we didn't want to listen.
00:42Foodborne illness, what most of us call food poisoning, was just another topic we had to study in school.
00:49I'm supposed to meet some friends.
00:51Until now.
00:53Bonnie?
00:55Charlie?
00:56Charlie?
00:56Charlie?
00:56Charlie?
00:56Charlie?
00:57Charlie?
00:57Charlie?
00:58Charlie?
01:01Charlie?
01:03Charlie?
01:08Charlie?
01:11Charlie?
01:13Charlie?
01:15Charlie?
01:16you're having a nightmare you're telling me that's what's giving you nightmares
01:22isn't it that poster it's not the picture it's the idea food poisoning if
01:29it's scaring you let's take it down no Fester can strike any time we're
01:34careless but I'm not going to be careless he's not going to get me he
01:40wasn't going to catch me in the danger zone
02:08the problem was no one took Fester seriously even in the science club it
02:14wasn't cool to worry about foodborne illness where were you yesterday we
02:19waited over an hour at the hot spot and he got there right after we left but I'm
02:23not going back who recommended that place anyway I did my uncle owns it well tell
02:29him that we'll be holding science fair dinner someplace else why the food's not
02:33that bad you ate there sure lots of times but not yesterday Kenny and I had copes
02:39that's home good I wouldn't want you to get food poisoning why are you always such
02:44a weenie I had a roast beef sandwich yesterday and I didn't get sick then
02:48why aren't you eating lunch if you're hungry I gotta stand for my uncle's place
03:00what's wrong with her
03:05I don't know but until we're sure you better not eat this sandwich
03:12the school was concerned about our safety and it hired a part-time security guard
03:18unfortunately he was a bully who liked to throw his weight around and he sure
03:22wasn't concerned about foodborne illness
03:40why don't you go see the nurse you look awful thanks now we're even that sandwich
03:45you ate yesterday could be making you sick you've got food poisoning on the brain
03:49why don't you just go and leave me alone I wasn't surprised that Bonnie wouldn't listen
03:53to me in class she seldom paid attention to miss temple bacteria are microorganisms tiny
04:02living things that can only be seen through a microscope they exist everywhere in air soil
04:08water on your hands even on your skin and inside the human body bacteria reproduce by dividing
04:16in half in one day a single bacterium can divide and multiply into millions of bacteria
04:23bacteria can be either helpful or harmful can anyone give me an example of a
04:28food with helpful bacteria mark yogurt right bacteria help turn milk into yogurt
04:37but bacteria can also be harmful and harmful bacteria can contaminate food if we eat food that's been contaminated
04:45then we might get foodborne illness bacteria tend to reproduce most quickly when the temperature is warm
04:52when there's some moisture and when there's a medium to grow on food especially meat and poultry can be an
04:59ideal medium for the growth of bacteria
05:02in a warm moist environment a few bacteria can quickly multiply to dangerous levels in as little as two hours
05:09honey are you all right annie did you have a question excuse me miss temple did you have a question
05:16about foodborne illness
05:20how can we tell if food is dangerous that's a good question you can't see harmful bacteria with the naked
05:26eye
05:26contaminated food doesn't necessarily smell or taste bad and if you suspect it's contaminated you should never
05:33taste it anyway but there are several procedures we can follow to make sure the food is safe to eat
05:39the most
05:40basic of these procedures is to keep food out of the danger zone
05:48if you're sick go to the nurse leave me alone
05:54the danger zone is a range of temperatures between forty and a hundred and forty degrees Fahrenheit
06:02within which harmful bacteria tend to reproduce most quickly
06:06eating food left in the danger zone at room temperature for instance for over two hours can result in food
06:13poisoning
06:13food that is meant to be served cold such as chicken salad and milk should be kept under forty degrees
06:19until it's served
06:20hot foods like roast beef should be cooked to a safe internal temperature and then held above 140 degrees until
06:28it's served
06:28hot food today we're going to watch a videotape on safe food preparation
06:33annie will you get the blinds please
07:18there you are now come closer why don't you
07:31oh excuse me
07:36don't hurt her
07:38i'm only going to make her a sandwich teach
07:42just the way she likes it
07:47here let me give you a hand teach
07:50shoot your hands off me
07:51i wouldn't want you to miss this
08:03i don't want that
08:05i ate the same thing yesterday and it made me sick
08:09that roast is intelligent
08:11you thought it on the counter at room temperature
08:14sure i did just like your mind there's one here
08:18but it's not right flying meat a real touch is extremely dangerous
08:23any roast spawn on the counter could be in the danger zone too long
08:27meat should be not in the refrigerator
08:30be realistic that could take days
08:34then use a microwave that's quite insane
08:37maybe next time
08:40maybe next time
08:40but don't doubt it
08:42at least check to make sure the roast is gone
08:46use it for mom with her
08:50i don't mind using it for mom
08:52meat should be covered to a proper internal temperature
08:55i just don't pay any attention to what it says
09:03you're not sure you can think it's safe at the internal temperature
09:08it might not be safe to eat
09:10spare me the lecture teach
09:12i'm very very familiar with the danger zone
09:35that's it
09:39come on everybody go on to class
09:42go on
09:48Bonnie, are you all right?
09:51Annie, stay with her. I'll be right back.
09:58No! Get away from me! No!
10:00Bonnie! Bonnie, it's me! Look at me! Look!
10:06What's the matter with her? The flu?
10:09She ate some beef yesterday. It might have been contaminated.
10:12Well, if it's foodborne illness, she may get worse.
10:14Fever? Nausea? Diarrhea?
10:17I'll send someone for the nurse.
10:21Annie, you were right.
10:23We can't let this happen to anyone else.
10:25Just think about getting better right now.
10:27Nobody takes this seriously.
10:30Nobody thinks it can happen to them.
10:33Annie, you've got to make them listen.
10:40If anyone was going to listen to me, it was Charlie.
10:44He was the president of the science club and lived across the street from me.
10:48But he didn't think he could ever be in danger.
10:51Like everyone else, he thought he was too smart.
10:55Oh, hi, Ma.
10:56Hi, Annie.
10:57Hi, Mrs. Shaw.
10:59Sorry I'm late.
10:59Oh, that's okay.
11:00You had a rough day.
11:01Or at least Bonnie did.
11:03Bonnie's mother called me and told me what happened.
11:06Annie couldn't even finish her lunch.
11:08Oh.
11:09Would you like to stay for dinner, Annie?
11:10There's plenty of barbecue chicken.
11:12Thanks, Mrs. Shaw.
11:13But I don't have much of an appetite tonight.
11:15Oh, I can understand that after seeing Bonnie that way.
11:18Maybe I can change your mind while I clean up this kitchen.
11:21You're volunteering to clean up your kitchen?
11:23Are you feeling all right?
11:24Sure, Mom.
11:25Just go out and throw it in barbecue.
11:26Okay, I'm not going to argue.
11:29And Charlie was going to show me just how smart he was.
11:33Okay, the potential problem here is cross-contamination.
11:36The raw chicken can contain a harmful bacteria called salmonella.
11:39Right.
11:40You have to make sure that whatever touches the raw chicken,
11:42the cleaver, the cutting board, or even human hands,
11:45never touches the cooked chicken or anything else you serve.
11:47And the surest way to do that is to immediately clean everything
11:50that has come in contact with the raw chicken.
11:53First, throw away the chicken scraps.
12:02Then, wash the utensils in soap and hot water.
12:07And there was no doubt he knew all the basic rules.
12:10Unlike Bonnie, he had paid attention in class.
12:15Use a scrub brush to make sure you remove any food particles
12:19that may get stuck in crevices in the board.
12:22Clean the counter with soap and water.
12:24The water should be as hot as you can stand it.
12:27Finally, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and hot water.
12:31But just knowing the rules wasn't enough if he didn't believe that...
12:40Unwashed hands are as dangerous as unwashed utensils.
12:44Congratulations, Charlie.
12:45You get an A.
12:46It figures.
12:47You're good at tests.
12:48Well, the problems aren't that difficult.
12:50And the solution isn't that simple.
12:51Food poisoning isn't just a problem in a textbook.
12:54If you think it is, you're putting yourself in danger.
12:57Okay, calm down.
12:58I'll handle it.
12:59Good Mrs. Shaw was putting the barbecue chicken
13:01back in the pan that held the raw chicken.
13:04You better.
13:05Or you're going to be in for a bad night.
13:11Isn't this a little fancy for barbecue chicken, huh?
13:15Well, I thought I'd surprise you.
13:17And I thought I'd surprise you.
13:45I woke up thinking it was just another nightmare.
13:48But the ambulance in Charlie's driveway was real.
13:51It was a bad omen.
13:53Charlie was still in bed the night of the science fair dinner.
13:57We settled on a potluck supper,
13:59with each student preparing a dish.
14:01Hey, Annie, we need you in the back.
14:03I'll be back in a minute.
14:05The power had gone out so many times,
14:07I wasn't sure any of the food was safe to eat.
14:09But at least the exhibits looked good.
14:12Over two million bacteria can live on one square centimeter of human skin.
14:16That's about the size of the colored part of your eye.
14:19Each bacteria has these structures.
14:22Cytoplasm, cell membrane, and cell wall.
14:26Still, it was hard to be optimistic.
14:28I really got to hand it to you kids.
14:30This buffet dinner was a great idea.
14:33Sure, Roscoe.
14:34You're on the gravy train.
14:36Our parents bring in all this food,
14:38and you eat it.
14:39Hey, I'm just providing a public service.
14:41You've been doing it for hours.
14:43I'm what you might call your first alert food poison detector.
14:47I get sick.
14:48You know you've got problems.
14:51But what happened to that ham salad?
14:53That was really good.
14:54We put it away.
14:55We're not sure that it's safe to eat.
14:57Nice.
15:00Bacteria are classified by shape,
15:02and their three basic shapes are
15:03spheres, rods, and spirals.
15:07Over 3,000 different types of bacteria
15:10have been identified.
15:13That's a very good exhibit.
15:15Why, thank you.
15:16Oh, is it yours?
15:17Yes, it is.
15:19Tell me, how did you become interested in bacteria?
15:23Well, it began with a personal experience.
15:44We have a problem, don't we?
15:46Buffets are always a problem.
15:48We try to keep hot food hot,
15:50cold food cold.
15:51But if you're not real efficient,
15:53something's going to end up in a danger zone too long.
15:55It's hard to be efficient on a night like this.
15:57It's just about impossible.
15:59Come on, I'll show you.
16:10It's important to keep cold food cold.
16:12Temperatures under 40 degrees Fahrenheit
16:14slow down the growth of harmful bacteria.
16:18We told our parents to use shallow containers.
16:21That's a good idea.
16:22Containers like this can be cooled quickly,
16:24so that food is less likely
16:26to be in the danger zone too long.
16:28But the power has gone off three times already.
16:31We better check the temperature of this food.
16:36See, this chicken salad is at 65 degrees
16:40when it should be 40 degrees.
16:42We can't be sure any of the food in this walking
16:44is safe to eat.
16:50Food that's meant to be served hot
16:52should be reheated to 165 degrees
16:55and then held above 140 degrees
16:57in a warming tray or on a steam table.
16:59We followed the guidelines, Miss Temple,
17:01to the letter.
17:02I know you did.
17:03But when the power goes off,
17:04there's not much you can do.
17:06Look, this is nearly at room temperature.
17:09Will we have to cancel the dinner?
17:12I don't want to.
17:13But the power's been off at your parents' houses too.
17:16Who knows how much of this food
17:17has been in the danger zone too long.
17:19But mistakes and cooling and reheating food
17:22are the most common causes of foodborne illness.
17:26I know how we can serve a dinner
17:27that's absolutely safe.
17:29But one of us will have to go and talk to Charlie.
17:32I'll go.
17:33And we'd need a car.
17:35I can drive.
17:36I'll leave Mr. Melrose in charge.
17:39Okay.
17:39Here's what I have in mind.
17:41The most important thing
17:42was to find a part of town
17:44where the power hadn't gone out in the storm.
17:46Gee, this rain is awful.
17:48I can hardly see a thing.
17:55Judging's almost over.
17:56You're not ready to serve.
17:58What gives?
17:58You ate all the food, Roscoe.
18:01Baloney.
18:01Where's Miss Temple?
18:03She went out.
18:04She wasn't sure the food we had is safe to eat.
18:06I've been eating this food all day
18:08and I'm not sick.
18:09You also have been touching it
18:10with your dirty hands.
18:11You'll probably come down with me.
18:13Hey, I'm going to take it off.
18:16I'm going to go talk to Melrose about this.
18:20Miss Temple better hurry up.
18:33Time for a dead end.
18:36Faster.
18:39Well, I suppose I should be flattered.
18:42But it's not very good like this.
18:45Go away.
18:45I'm not hungry.
18:46Oh, you have to eat.
18:48You're almost well.
18:50You don't like that, do you?
18:51How long has that been in the danger zone?
18:53Long enough.
18:54I got from the science fair, did you?
18:57The science fair?
18:58You didn't hurt anyone.
19:00No.
19:01Not yet.
19:02But the night is young.
19:09Open, open, open, open, open, open, open, open.
19:15I won't eat it.
19:16I won't.
19:17I bet you will.
19:19Unless you absolutely have to have anchovies.
19:25Ketney, what are you doing here?
19:27Looking for money.
19:29You're the president of the science club.
19:31You have the club's checkbook.
19:32Hand it over.
19:33Is Annie in trouble?
19:35We all are without the checkbook.
19:37I'll bring it with me.
19:40I stopped as long as I could, but I finally had to face the crowd.
19:45Roscoe wasn't the only one who was hungry.
19:47It was way past dinner time.
19:49Move, move, move, move, move.
19:54All right, now tell him what you told me.
19:57What's going on?
19:59I'm not sure the food we have is safe to eat.
20:01There, there, huh?
20:02Huh?
20:02See what I told you?
20:03Huh?
20:05I'm not saying that the food doesn't taste good.
20:07I'm sure it does.
20:08But the power has gone out four times.
20:11And we can't be sure that the food hasn't been in the danger zone for too long.
20:14Oh, I've been tasting that food all day and I feel fine.
20:17She's just stolen.
20:18Come on, let's chow down, huh?
20:21Take it easy, Roscoe.
20:23Chow down on this.
20:25It's hot and fresh from the oven.
20:28There's nothing wrong with the food we already have.
20:31Nothing?
20:35Nothing at all.
20:39Roscoe, are you all right?
20:47I better take a look at him.
20:52Pizza, anyone?
20:53Yeah!
21:00I see you got here on time.
21:02And not soon enough for Roscoe.
21:04Did anyone else eat from the buffet?
21:06I don't think so, but I'm not sure.
21:09Well, we'll have to check.
21:10Then we'll have to discard all the food the parents brought.
21:13Okay.
21:14Have some pizza.
21:15We'll be here a while.
21:18Let's go, gang.
21:19Time to hit the road.
21:21There's half a meatball pizza left.
21:22Throw it away.
21:24It's been in the danger zone too long.
21:26Well, we did pretty well tonight, except for Roscoe getting sick.
21:29Everybody else is okay.
21:31You did a great job.
21:32But don't get overconfident.
21:34We may have one today, but Fester doesn't ever give up.
21:38Which is why we have to remember that bacteria can be dangerous, and bacteria are everywhere.
21:43So we have to follow a few basic rules.
21:47To avoid cross-contamination, keep work areas and utensils clean.
21:52Follow the two-hour rule.
21:54Never leave food in the danger zone for more than two hours.
21:59Make sure you cook all food thoroughly, especially meat and poultry.
22:05Use small, shallow containers to cool food rapidly.
22:08Don't leave food in the danger zone.
22:13You can prevent foodborne illness if you follow the rules every day.
22:17If you don't, you might get a visit from someone you really don't want to meet.
22:26There you are now.
22:29Come closer, why don't you?
22:59I'm here now.