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Author: Karen Blakeslee

The Rapid Response Center was formed in 1995 as a resource for Kansas State University Research & Extension Agents. Resource topics included Food Science, Human Nutrition, Food Service, Textiles, Home Care and other consumer topics. Since that time, the Center has grown to be of valuable assistance to Kansas State University Extension Specialists in those areas.

Aspartame Still Considered Safe

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

High intensity sweeteners or sugar substitutes add sweetness to many beverages and foods to help those who need to reduce sugar consumption. Aspartame has been one of the most studied and reviewed sweeteners in the human food supply.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to evaluate and review scientific data and they continue to find no safety concerns about aspartame when used under approved conditions. Other regulatory and scientific authorities, such as Health Canada and the European Food Safety Authority, also agree with these findings.

Other sugar substitutes approved for use include Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K), Sucralose, Neotame, Advantame, and Saccharin. Additionally, three plant and fruit-based high-intensity sweeteners approved by FDA include certain steviol glycosides, extracts from monk fruit, and thaumatin.

How sweet are these sweeteners compared to table sugar? This chart from FDA shows the sweetness intensity.

Sweetness Intensity

How many packets of sweeteners can a person consumer safely? This chart from FDA shows the number of sweetener packets a person would need to consume each day to reach the acceptable daily intake (ADI) level. The ADI is the amount of a substance considered safe to consume each day over the course of a person’s lifetime.

Safe levels of sweeteners

Learn more at https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food

Local Food Fellows Program

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

With funding provided by a Regional Food Systems Partnership Grant through the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, K-State Research and Extension Local Food Systems offers the Kansas Local Food Fellows Program. Food system partners across the state of Kansas can apply to host a fellow to work on a site-specific local food system project. Projects may be related to, but are not restricted to research, education, marketing, or community engagement of local food system participants including producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and/or consumers.

Applications are now being accepted through September 30, 2024 to become a local food fellow host. Organizations outline a project and the role of the fellow for that project. The fellow position must be able to complete the project in 320 hours.

Learn more and how to apply at https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/get-involved/fellows/.

Business Builder Grant Opportunity

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Buisness Builder GrantThe Heartland Regional Food Business Center will provide financial assistance through Business Builder (BB) Subawards of $5,000 to $50,000 each to support projects focused on meeting regional needs and increasing capacity among food and farm businesses working toward expansion in local and regional food markets.

Eligible to apply are small food and farm businesses or nonprofit organizations either located in or serving the five-state Heartland Center region (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska) and/or nine counties in northwest Arkansas (Benton, Carrol, Boone, Washington, Madison, Newton, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson).

Applications will be accepted through October 15, 2024. 

Details and application can be found at https://heartlandfoodbusiness.org/business-builder/.

September is Food Safety Education Month

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

As September approaches, it is time to encourage and remind all consumers about safe food handling steps to prevent foodborne illness.

Although most healthy people will recover from a foodborne illness within a short period of time, some can develop chronic, severe, or even life-threatening health problems. In addition, some people are at a higher risk for developing foodborne illness, including pregnant women, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems (such as transplant patients and individuals with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or diabetes). To keep your family safer from food poisoning, follow these four simple steps: clean, separate, cook, and chill.

Learn more about handling food safely at https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/at-home-safe-food-handling-its-in-your-hands_MF2465.pdf.

Business Builder Grant Opportunity

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Buisness Builder Grant

A new grant opportunity called the Business Builder grant was recently announced by the USDA through the Heartland Regional Food Business Center. The grant will support local and regional food enterprises across the supply chain, from suppliers to buyers.

This program is designed to promote business expansion, job creation, business capacity building, and increase local products in the local market throughout the Heartland Region, including Kansas. Please share this opportunity with partners, entrepreneurs, and others across Kansas who may benefit.

The grant provides the chance to be awarded $5,000 to $50,000 that can be used for consultants, staffing for projects, supplies, equipment and more! The deadline for applying for this grant is Oct 15, 2024, and estimated awards will be announced in early 2025.

Business Builder Grant

Get More Information About the Grant

There is an informational webinar on applying for the Business Builder grant on August 28, 2024, 12 – 1 pm, Central Time. A recording will be available after the meeting, just in case you miss it!

Through the grant, recipients can also gain one-on-one counseling offered by Heartland Regional Food Business Center partners and collaborators right here in Kansas!

About the Heartland Regional Food Business Center

The Heartland Heartland Regional Food Business Center, led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and rural Missouri community development corporation New Growth, focuses on expanding the local and regional food system in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and northwest Arkansas. It conducts this work as a regional team with 14 Key Partners and 20 Collaborators across the five states. K-State Research and Extension and Kansas Rural Center are two of 14 key partners implementing the Heartland Regional Food Business Center.  Click here to learn more about the HRFBC’s Kansas offerings.
Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to support the growth of your community!

Questions? Complete the contact form at heartlandfoodbusiness.org/contact/ or email heartlandrfbc@ksu.edu. For more about this grant and other opportunities, join the Heartland Regional Food Business Center Newsletter for all the updates to come.

Teach Kids Food Safety Practices

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Teach kids food safety
Food Safety for Kids from the Partnership for Food Safety Education

Established by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation in 2014, Kids Eat Right Month is observed each August and focuses on the importance of healthful eating and active lifestyles for kids and families.

As you may know, children are disproportionately affected by serious foodborne illnesses. They represent half of all hospitalizations for foodborne illness in the United States each year.

These activities are perfect for talking to kids and families about food safety:

Share these food safety tips with kids and their families to keep them safe this season and year round!

Drying Foods at Home

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Freeze Dried Raspberries
Freeze dried raspberries
Photo: Canva.com

Drying, or dehydrating, foods at home can help extend the shelf-life of seasonal produce, preserve more nutrients in foods, and help provide shelf-stable foods that are easy to store. Interest in drying foods has increased with more affordable equipment options.

One method that has gained momentum is freeze drying foods at home. This method uses a specialized piece of equipement that uses a combination of vacuum pressure and heat to dry food. The first stage freezes food to -40°F which converts moisture to ice crystals. Then, under vacuum, the trays of food are heated to convert ice crystals to a steam vapor. This vapor is removed and 90 to 95% of the moisture leaves the food. This process can take hours to days depending on the food.

The cost of home freeze dryers can range from $2,400 and up depending on vendor, model, accessories, etc.

While freeze drying produces very dry food product, it does not kill bacteria. So, it is important to handle food safely to prevent contamination or cross-contamination. It is also important to read the instruction manual for the equipment to learn about specific guidelines and safe operating procedures.

Source: Let’s Preserve: Drying Foods at Home, NebGuide G2363 and Freeze-drying Food, University of Minnesota Extension

Reusing Pickling Brine

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
pickles
Photo: KSRE

If you make pickles, you may find that you have leftover pickling brine. Can it be reused? That depends on how it was originally used.

If the vegetables were soaked or heated in the pickling brine prior to filling the jars, it CANNOT be reused for another batch.

  • Once vegetables are heated or soaked, pH changes
  • Produce absorbs brine
  • Pickling brine becomes less acidic

If the vegetables were raw packed into jars, then the pickling brine was added, it CAN be reused for another batch.

Learn more from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia blog post “That Leftover Pickling Brine.”

 

Preserving Tomatoes after a Fall Frost or Freeze

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Tomato plants may still produce fresh tomatoes into the Fall season. But, if the tomato vine is dead or killed by a frost or freeze, those tomatoes are not safe for canning. The pH, or acidity, changes in this situation to increase the pH above 4.6. Therefore, the safest choice to preserve these affected tomatoes is by freezing or dehydrating.

Unripe, or green, tomatoes can be preserved just like ripe tomatoes. So when canning them they still require acidification. Here are some ideas to can green tomatoes.

Tomatoes

Learn more about pre-frost tomato harvest at https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/programs/lawn-garden/agent-articles-faqs-and-resources/agent-articles/vegetables/Pre-Frost-Harvest.html.

Preserving Apples

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Fall is coming and apple trees are bursting with apples!

Apples can be preserved by canning, freezing, dehydrating, jams, jellies, fruit butter, and pickling. The best varieties for preserving are crisp, cooking varieities. Some suggested varieties for different types of preserving can be found from the University of Illinois Extension.

It is best to preserve the fruit shortly after harvest. Use apples that are neither too green nor too ripe. Avoid using apples held in cold storage for an extended period of time as the pH level can change.

Learn more about preserving apples in Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe: Apples from K-State Research and Extension. More options are available from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Preserving Apples
Preserving Apples
Photo: KSRE
Reference to any specific commercial products, process, service, manufacturer, or company does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation. Paid for by Kansas State University