According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the failure to follow appropriate personal hygiene is the major contributing factor in reported foodborne illnesses in the United States. Effective handwashing removes many illness causing bacteria and viruses, including the most common cause of stomach and intestinal distress, norovirus, commonly referred to as the 24-hour stomach flu. The CDC has documented that norovirus is responsible for more foodborne illness than all other bacteria-related illnesses combined, including Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter.

Proper hand washing is the single most effective method to reduce or eliminate the transmission of the norovirus, the Task Force notes. This means using warm water and hand soap to generate a good lather, and then scrubbing for at least 15 seconds. Special attention should be paid to the areas between the fingers and under the nails. After rinsing, hands should be dried with a disposable towel, which should also be used to turn off the water faucets and open the doors.

The Iowa Food Safety Task Force is composed of state and federal regulators, universities, public health officials, and food and commodity group representatives. Member organizations include the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, which chairs the Task Force, the Iowa Hygienic Laboratory, the Iowa Beef Industry Council, the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Iowa Pork Producers Association, the Turkey Federation, the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Iowa Environmental Health Association, the Iowa Restaurant Association, the Iowa State University Extension Service, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Egg Council and Iowa Poultry Association, and the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division. Funding for many of the Task Force's projects comes from a grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).