Spanish and English Webinars on Keeping Restaurants Healthy During Flu Season Offered by National Restaurant Association and Ecolab

Ecolab Inc. and the National Restaurant Association today announced that they will partner to present two webinars this week – one in English and one in Spanish – to help restaurant owners and operators protect their guests – and businesses – during the H1N1 pandemic.

The English-language webinar will be held Wed., Sept. 16, at 2 p.m. EDT. The Spanish-language webinar is set for Thurs., Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. EDT. Registration for the webinars is at https://nra.webex.com/nra/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=798838737.

Participants in the one-hour webinars will learn how the H1N1 virus is transmitted, practical steps they can take to minimize its spread and ways to create guest confidence through efforts to reduce exposure to the flu virus. A Q&A will follow the presentations.

"Restaurant owners and operators should know what steps they can take to minimize the potential impact of H1N1 flu on their employees and businesses,” said Beth Johnson, executive vice president of Public Affairs, National Restaurant Association. "We are pleased to offer this critical information in Spanish, as well as English.”

"Restaurant owners can reduce flu-related risks to their operations by taking steps to prevent its spread,” added Christophe Beck, executive vice president of Ecolab’s North American Institutional Sector. "Even after the H1N1 flu pandemic runs its course, the lessons learned in preventing its spread will be useful to restaurant owners who want to keep their restaurants ‘healthy’ during future flu or public health outbreaks.”

Leading the English-language webinar will be Dan Roehl, National Restaurant Association public affairs specialist, and Bruce R. Cords, Ph.D., vice president of environment, food safety and public health for Ecolab.

Presenting to the Spanish-language event will be Scott Croft, Ecolab director of global accounts training, and Monica Martinez, Ecolab senior marketing manager, International Division. Ruth Petran, M.S., food safety corporate scientist for Ecolab, will participate in both webinars as a technical resource.

The webinars are a continuation of joint pandemic preparedness efforts launched last spring by the National Restaurant Association and Ecolab to assist the industry in its response to the H1N1 virus and other outbreaks affecting public health. Efforts include new contents for a toolkit with information and guidelines to help restaurants prepare for and prevent an influenza outbreak at their operation. The toolkit is available at http://www.restaurant.org/fluinfo/toolkit.cfm.

About Ecolab

With sales of $6 billion and more than 26,000 associates, Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services. Ecolab delivers comprehensive programs and services to foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries. More news and information is available at www.ecolab.com.

About National Restaurant Association

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 13 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.

(ECL-C)