K-State Research and Extension

County fair season is here! It’s a great way to build community and have fun. Part of the fun at fairs is food so food safety is important to a successful event.

Petting zoos and animal exhibits can be educational and fun. The important step after handling animals is washing your hands to avoid illness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2010-2015, about 100 outbreaks occurred from people handling animals at public events such as fairs. There are many types of bacteria that can spread from animals to people such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium. A clean and healthy animal can still carry harmful bacteria. Even if you don’t pet the animal, and you touch fences or other equipment, the bacteria can transfer to your hands.

Your best defense is washing your hands! Have handwashing stations available and signs reminding visitors to wash their hands. Keep food vendors away from animal areas. Food stand managers should take proactive steps to train workers about proper handwashing.

Learn more at www.ksre.k-state.edu/foodsafety/topics/4h.html.

For Kansas Extension Agents, posters can be found in Teams at KSRE Resources>Nutrition, Food Safety and Health PFT>Files entitled “4H Food Stand Signs.”

Join the North Central Region Food Safety Extension Network for Summer School for Consumer Food Safety Education! Three free webinars are targeted to Extension educators and volunteers. The dates and topics include:

June 29—Safely Donating Produce and Other Foods to Food Pantries

July 13—Summer Food Safety on the Road

July 27—Food Safety Implications of Soaked Nuts.

All webinars are from 1:00-2:00 EDT. Registration is required so sign up now!

County fair season is here! Bakers are studying their recipes to choose a favorite recipe to enter into baking competitions. If you choose a recipe containing peanut butter, that’s great! But search your pantry for any Jif brand peanut butter that has been recently recalled.

While baking and cooking food does help destroy bacteria, in the case of a recalled food, you don’t know if your product is contaminated and how much contamination may be present. The heat from baking or cooking may not kill it all. Peanut butter is popular in no-bake cookies and peanut butter icing. Because these are typically not heated or have minimal heating, this can lead to foodborne illness. You don’t want the foods judge to get sick!

The picture at left shows how to identify the recalled Jif products. For more information see the Food and Drug Administration announcement.

For a list of exact products included in the recall, see the Food and Drug Administration public service announcement.