Hurricanes and other severe storms are dangerous and destructive – destroying homes and compromising communities. Floods and power outages from hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzardcut off water supplies and quickly contaminate food. Protect yourself, your family, and your pets from foodborne illnesses. Following are steps, recommended by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that you… Continue reading Food Safety in Emergencies
Category: Food Safety
How to Keep Your Food Safe – And Avoid Wasting It
Between the food industry and consumers, Americans are throwing out about a third of our food — about $161 billion worth each year. “Imagine this: You go to your favorite supermarket and come out with three bags full of groceries. Before you get in your car, you toss one of those bags in the garbage.… Continue reading How to Keep Your Food Safe – And Avoid Wasting It
Making Sense of Sell-By Dates
Between the food industry and consumers, Americans are throwing out about a third of our food — about $161 billion worth each year. “Imagine this: You go to your favorite supermarket and come out with three bags full of groceries. Before you get in your car, you toss one of those bags in the garbage.… Continue reading Making Sense of Sell-By Dates
FDA Testing Frozen Berries for Viruses
Although frozen berries should be cooked before using, some people still skip that step, increasing their risk of exposure to harmful viruses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported three hepatitis A virus outbreaks and one norovirus outbreak linked to frozen berries in the United States from 1997 to 2016. As a result, the… Continue reading FDA Testing Frozen Berries for Viruses
What You Need to Know About Caffeine
How much caffeine are you consuming? Some of us have just one wake-up cup of coffee per day. Others follow their morning cup with a cola or two and some more coffee throughout the day. What’s safe? The word from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Caffeine can be part of a healthy diet… Continue reading What You Need to Know About Caffeine
Is That Birthday Cake Safe to Eat?
An elaborate birthday cake may look great, but be careful of all those cute decorations. Many decorative glitters and dusts are sold over the Internet and in craft and bakery supply stores under names such as luster dust, disco dust, twinkle dust, sparkle dust, highlighter, shimmer powder, pearl dust, and petal dust. And for the… Continue reading Is That Birthday Cake Safe to Eat?
Don’t Fall Sick with a Foodborne Illness this Autumn
The temperatures are falling right along with the leaves, and all those autumnal traditions and festivities are just around the corner. Whether it’s picking apples and drinking cider, having fun on a hayride, walking amongst the colorful trees, or even playing in the pumpkin patch, your fall fun will very likely involve food. This is… Continue reading Don’t Fall Sick with a Foodborne Illness this Autumn
Food Safety Tips for Shopping at Your Favorite Farmers Market
The month of May means it’s nearly time for America’s favorite food lovers’ tradition: visiting your local farmers market. In addition to all the invigorating colors, exquisite aromas, strong flavors, and spirit of community, the farmers market is also an opportunity to develop one-on-one relationships with the people who produce your food! Their passion for… Continue reading Food Safety Tips for Shopping at Your Favorite Farmers Market
From Start to Finish: Food Safety Tips for Thanksgiving Dinner
For most people, Thanksgiving dinner is the biggest and most extensively prepared meal they cook all year. But from menu planning to handling leftovers, there are many opportunities for slip-ups to contaminate food. Stop Foodborne Illness, a national, nonprofit, public health organization dedicated to preventing illness and death from foodborne pathogens, offers these tips for… Continue reading From Start to Finish: Food Safety Tips for Thanksgiving Dinner
Don’t Wing It – How to Handle Poultry Safely
Do you know how many people will get sick from foodborne illness this year? 48 million people – that’s 1 in 6. Children and older adults are especially vulnerable. But the good news is that following safe poultry practices – when shopping, preparing, cooking and storing – can help keep you safe from common and… Continue reading Don’t Wing It – How to Handle Poultry Safely
The Safety of Water and the Impact on Health in U.S.
When the city of Flint, Michigan made headlines in 2015 for its lead-contaminated water, clean water became a hot-button issue. Before then, most Americans took the safety and availability of water for granted, thinking these problems only happened in third world countries. However, even though the United States has one of the highest quality of… Continue reading The Safety of Water and the Impact on Health in U.S.
Restaurant Customers Often Get Bad Food-Safety Information
Restaurants don’t do an effective job of telling customers about the risks associated with eating undercooked meat – specifically hamburgers, according to new research. The information provided by servers, the research found, often contradicts science-based information customers need to make informed food safety decisions. All 50 states in the U.S. have adopted some version of… Continue reading Restaurant Customers Often Get Bad Food-Safety Information
What to Know about Ground-Meat Safety
Meat grinding isn’t something most of us think about in considering food safety. But the federal Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) says each year roughly 48 million people get sick from food. And grinding conditions are a big part of that. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now requiring… Continue reading What to Know about Ground-Meat Safety
What Makes a Good Farmer’s Market?
It’s a typical farmer’s market scene: freshly harvested honey from local hives, locally rendered goat cheese, carved wood ornaments. Perhaps even more so than food, you’ll find plenty of crafts and artisans selling their wares. Are you more likely to find crafts and handmade items now instead of food at your local farmer’s market? Don’t… Continue reading What Makes a Good Farmer’s Market?
Raw Dough Can Be A Raw Deal
Do you find it hard to resist gobbling up a piece of raw dough when making cookies, or letting your grandkids scrape the bowl? Do children in your family use raw dough to make ornaments or homemade “play” clay? If your answer to any of those questions is yes, that could be a problem. Eating… Continue reading Raw Dough Can Be A Raw Deal