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Food Safety Education Month

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Wash your hands
Wash your hands often for 20 seconds.

Food safety is in your hands, and your home! Food Safety Education month is in September and every consumer has a role in how safe food is prepared, handled, and consumed. Your hands touch many items and surfaces throughout the day, so taking 20 seconds to wash them is the first step in keeping food safe.

Our hands also pass food from one person to another, whether at the dinner table or delivering food to a family member or neighbor. Food delivery demand increased dramatically in recent months. This will continue as we approach the holiday season.

To learn more about handling delivered food safely, join the Partnership for Food Safety Education on August 25th at Noon CST for a webinar pack with new food delivery resources.

Along with handwashing, fingernail hygiene is equally important. Fingernails can hide dirt and bacteria. They can contribute to infections such as from pinworms. This particular infection is the most common worm infection in the U.S. Because of this, it is important to always wash your hands, and clean under your fingernails, after using the restroom or after changing baby diapers.

Learn more about safe food handling practices and more at KSRE Extension Food Safety. More information regarding Food Safety Education month will be released soon.

It’s Lunch Time!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Turkey Wraps
Pack a wrap! These are easy ways to pack several nutritious foods in a hand-held sandwich.
Photo: USDA Flickr

As school’s start, it’s also time to remember food safety for school lunch. If you pack lunch for your child, keep these tips in mind:

  • Have your child help with shopping and preparation for their lunch. Chances are increased your child will eat the whole lunch!
  • Add colorful fruits and vegetables that are ready-to-eat.
  • Change up the menu during the week so meals don’t get boring.
  • Use an insulated lunch bag with a small ice pack. Freeze juice boxes or fruit cups to help keep foods cold.
  • Limit convenience foods that add extra fat, sodium and sugar.
  • Prepare lunches the night before. Refrigerate cold items and add to the lunch bag in the morning.

Source: What’s for Lunch? It’s in the Bag—Iowa State University Extension

Not All Frozen Entrees are the Same

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Microwave
Know your microwave! Stir or rotate food for even cooking. Check the temp! Photo: USDA

When buying frozen entrées, it is important to read the instructions for safe preparation. Just because the entrée looks brown and precooked on the package picture, it may be a raw product. A recent recall of raw frozen breaded stuffed chicken due to a Salmonella outbreak is a reminder of this important step.

Not all microwave foods are pre-cooked to be heated in the microwave. Some are raw foods that require cooking in the oven. Therefore, reading the package for preparation instructions is important. If the microwave is recommended cooking appliance, know the wattage of your oven to get the proper amount of heat to the food.

Whether using the microwave or the oven, always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature. Learn more at USDA Preparing Frozen Food.

Those Pesky Pantry Pests

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Flour beetles
Flour beetles are common food pantry pests. Photo: USDA/ARS

Pantry pests can invade food storage spaces and cause havoc. Many of these pests enjoy grain-based products. Here are the common insects seen in home pantries:

  • Booklice (Psocids) – Found in stored cereals and grains.
  • Carpet Beetles— Found in cereals, flours, and baking mixes.
  • Cigarette Beetles—Found in dried herbs, spices, cereals, flours, dried fruits, seeds, dried fish and meats.
  • Clothes Moths—Found in some beverages.
  • Drugstore Beetle—Found in pet food, seeds, flours, mixes, and spices. It is said they “eat any except cast iron!”
  • Flour Beetle—Any grain product, flour, kernel or cereal.
  • Indianmeal Moth—Found in cereals, stored grains, dried fruits, chocolate, and nuts.
  • Saw-Toothed Grain Beetle—Found in foods of vegetable origin, grain products, nuts, candies, dried milk, and dried fruits.

 

Preventing Pantry Pests

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Flour beetle
Flour beetle
Photo: USDA/ARS

Keeping storage areas clean and dry are the first line of defense against pests invading your food.

Periodically clean storage areas to remove spilled food and damaged packages of food. A vacuum cleaner can easily remove spills from cracks and crevices. Eliminate hiding places by sealing cracks and crevices with putty or caulk.

If packages are damaged, inspect for insect presence or damage. If the food is still good, re-package in a sealable sturdy container. Cold-treat flours, cake mixes, and spices at 0°F for 3-7 days, making sure that the cold penetrates the material. Heat-treat beans, nuts, and whole grains by spreading them in a shallow pan and placing them in a 150°F oven for 15-20 minutes.

For more information, see Household Pests of Kansas, MF3291.

 

Pack it Hot or Maybe Pack it Raw!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Carrots and green beans
Carrots and green beans are two vegetables than use either the hot pack or raw pack method to fill the jars. Photo: KSRE

Home canning has two methods to pack food into jars. For a majority of foods, the hot pack method is used to fill the jars with food and liquid.

Many fresh foods naturally contain air, from 10 to 30 percent. How much air is removed before jars are sealed can affect the quality of the food during storage. The hot pack method preheats the food in the liquid to be used when filling the jars. The food and liquid are brought to a boil for two to five minutes. This allows the food tissue to release air, the food shrinks a little, helps keep the food from floating inside the jars, improves the vacuum seal on the jars and improves shelf life. More food can fit into the jars. The food color and flavor during storage in enhanced.

The raw pack method is used for certain foods, not all foods. Prepared food is not preheated, but the liquid must be hot. Fill jars tightly with food, then pour hot liquid into the jars. Raw packed foods tend to float more because air is still inside the food. The food may discolor during storage.

How do you know which method to use? Tested recipes from reliable recipe resources will guide you as to which method to use. In some cases, both are options, in other cases, only one option is given. Follow these recipes for the best results.

Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation

 

In a Pickle: Top Safety Questions on Home Canning

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

The Partnership for Food Safety Education invited Dr. Elizabeth Andress, Professor Emerita from the University of Georgia, to participate in a knowledge exchange about home food preservation on July 14, 2021.

Participants were invited to ask questions about a variety of topics. Her expertise is well respected around the country in the science of home food preservation. Food preservation is, in fact, science-driven to preserve the safest and best quality food at home.

You can watch this recorded session on the BACFighter YouTube channel.

 

What is Listeria monocytogenes?

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Listeria
Vulnerable populations are most susceptible to foodborne illness. (CDC)

Listeria monocytogenes can be deadly for vulnerable groups of people. A recent recall of ready-to-eat chicken contaminated with L. monocytogenes has included almost 9 million pounds of chicken.

Vulnerable groups of people include the very young, older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and those with poor immune systems to fight off disease.

Prevention is the best defense.  Here are some tips from the CDC:

  • Avoid eating raw animal products, including raw milk products, uncooked or lightly cooked eggs, and raw fish and meat dishes.
  • Wash ALL fruits and vegetables before eating. Avoid eating raw sprouts.
  • Avoid hot dogs and other deli-style meats unless they are reheated to steaming temperatures. Also avoid deli-prepared salads, such as chicken or seafood salad.
  • Keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees F or lower, and your freezer at 0 degrees F or lower.

Source: www.cdc.gov/listeria/index.html

 

County Fair Food Safety Guidance

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

It’s almost fair time! Fairs bring together many people for fun, food, and more. Fair food stands are temporary but they still need to comply with food safety guidelines. To help reduce risks that could lead to foodborne illness issues, many resources are available to help guide food stands or other food service operations at www.ksre.k-state.edu/foodsafety/topics/4h.html.

Handling animals can also lead to foodborne illnesses if hands are not washed. Resources are also available on the above website.

Have a safe and fun fair!

Posters are available in the KSRE Resources, Nutrition, Food Safety and Health PFT Teams entitled “4H Food Stand Signs.”

 

Can You Preserve Food Safely in “Smart Cookers?”

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
EPPC
Further research is planned to determine the safety of canning in EPPCs.

“Smart Cookers” or Electric programmable pressure cookers (EPPCs) are very popular for preparing a quick, nutritious family meal. But what about the safety of those appliances for canning foods?

Preliminary research conducted by Utah State University included testing three brands of EPPCs, three USDA low acid food canning recipes, three different altitudes to see how temperature changes, and all tests were done in triplicate. All jars were fitted with wireless data loggers to monitor temperature changes.

The results showed these appliances are not safe for canning low acid foods. The key in all canning is the temperature inside the jars during processing. For low acid foods, the “cold spot” or center of the filled jar must reach 250°F and maintain it for 2.5 minutes. None of the EPPCs reached this temperature. Altitude greatly reduced temperatures. As altitude goes up, the boiling point of water goes down. The size of these appliances also impacted the time of  heat lethality.

Source: J. of the NEAFCS, Vol. 15, 2020

 

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