Family and Consumer Sciences

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Ohio State University Extension

food safety

Parties, Picnics & Potlucks: A Reminder on Food Safety

Spring is here! Who isn’t ready to spend some time with friends and family in the nice weather that is coming over the next few months? And what thing always enhances gatherings with friends and family? Food! With the focus on how to be safe in social gatherings during a pandemic, it is also important […]

WRITTEN BY: Casey Bishop

REVIEWED BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County, Family and Consumer Sciences

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • stokpic. (2021, May 17th). Shish Kebab Meat Skewer Vegetables [Photography]. Pixabay.
  • https://pixabay.com/photos/shish-kebab-meat-skewer-417994/

REFERENCES:

  • “The Core Four Practices of Food Safety: FightBAC.” Partnership for Food Safety Education, 16 Aug. 2020, www.fightbac.org/food-safety-basics/the-core-four-practices/.
  • Written by Barbara Rohrs Revised by Lydia Medeiros. “Salmonella.” Ohioline, 28 Mar. 2012, ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5566-11.
  • Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “Handling Food Safely While Eating Outdoors.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/handling-food-safely-while-eating-outdoors.

Is Foodborne Illness on the Rise?

When was the last time you heard about a foodborne illness outbreak in the news? So far this year there have been 14 multi-state outbreaks documented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) including the outbreak associated with romaine lettuce that impacted over 200 people in 36 states, and the regional outbreak […]

WRITTEN BY: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County

REVIEWED BY: Amy Meehan, Healthy People Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

SOURCES:

  • Bosco, T. (2018). Health experts still have no answer as to cause of outbreak at Powell Chipotle. https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/health-experts-still-have-no-answer-as-to-cause-of-outbreak-at-powell-chipotle
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017). Preventing Food Poisoning. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/prevention.html
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018). Food Safety and Dining Out. https://www.cdc.gov/features/food-dining-safety/index.html
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018). Four Steps to Food Safety. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/keep-food-safe.html
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018). List of Selected Multistate Foodborne Outbreak Investigations. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/multistate-outbreaks/outbreaks-list.html
  • LaVito, A. & Rogers, K. (2018). Chipotle confirms cause of foodborne illness at Ohio restaurant. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/16/chipotle-confirms-cause-of-foodborne-illness-at-ohio-restaurant.html
  • Scutti, S. (2018). Foodborne illness may be on the rise. Here’s why. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/20/health/food-safety-illness-rise-cdc/index.html

Fresh, Safe Garden Produce

Preventing contamination is the most important part of food safety in fresh produce and it starts in the vegetable garden. Follow these steps to promote food safety with fresh, garden produce. In the Garden Be familiar with the water source for the garden. If using well water, test the water at least once a year […]

WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension Educator, Lucas County Family and Consumer Sciences

REVIEWED BY: Abigail Snyder, Field Specialist, Food Safety & Management, OSU Extension, Family and Consumer Sciences

SOURCES:

  • Bolton, J., Bushway, A., Crowe, K., and El-Begearmi, M. (2013) University of Maine Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Cooperative Extension https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/4336e/
  • Bunning, M. and Newby, M. (2010) Colorado State University Extension http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/safe-food-facts-for-community-gardens-9-381/
  • Chaifetz, A., Alnajjar, K., Ammerman, A., Driscoll, E., Gunter, C., Chapman, B. (2015), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Fight bac! Partnership for Food Safety Education http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-basics/the-core-four-practices/
  • Goard, L. (2015) Ohioline https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5338
  • Ilic, S. and Lewis Ivey, M. (2017) Ohio State University https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1153
  • Jarvie, M. (2015), Michigan State University Extension http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/food_safety_and_composting
  • Mancl, K. (2016) Ohioline https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/aex-314
  • Private Drinking Water Wells (2018), United States Environmental Protection Agency https://www.epa.gov/privatewells
  • Universities of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont and funded by NIFA/USDA https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/manual/five-steps-food-safe-fruit-vegetable-gardening/
  • Water Quality (2016), Ohio Department of Health, http://www.odh.ohio.gov/odhprograms/eh/water/PrivateWaterSystems/quality.aspx
  • Wright Hirsch, D. (2014) University of Connecticut Extension https://blog.extension.uconn.edu/2014/08/06/should-i-eat-that/

SUMMER FOOD SAFETY DANGERS

Don’t accidentally invite an unwanted guest to your summer picnic or barbecue.  With warmer temperatures, the risk for foodborne illnesses such as listeriosis increase.  Listeriosis can produce flu-like symptoms and for normal healthy people is usually not much of a concern.  However, it can be very dangerous for the elderly, newborns, pregnant women, or people […]

WRITTEN BY: Pat Brinkman, Ohio State University Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Educator, Fayette County

REVIEWED BY: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County

SOURCES:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017). Listeria Prevention. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention.html
  • Food Safety.Gov (2018). See Recent Recalls. Available at https://www.foodsafety.gov/recalls/recent/index.html
  • Mediros, L. (2015). Listeria Monocytogenes: A Concern for Pregnant Women and Older Adults. Ohio State University Extension Ohioline. Available at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5562

Safe Snacks for Traveling

Are you trying to eat healthy, but struggling with snacks? During my baby-steps to a healthier me, I’ve been struggling with snacks, especially when I travel. I think of all these great snacks that I can take with me, but then food safety realization sets in and suddenly I find myself at a loss. You […]

WRITTEN BY: Amanda Bohlen, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Washington County.

REVIEWED BY: Misty Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Perry County.

SOURCES:

  • Bohlen, A. (2018). Healthy Snacks. Live Healthy, Live Well. https://livehealthyosu.com/2018/03/01/healthy-snacks/
  • The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (2018). Patient Education. https://patienteducation.osumc.edu/Pages/Home.aspx

Safely Using Your Slow Cooker

Coming home on a cold evening to inviting smells of food from your slow cooker or “crock pot” makes us all feel so good. Slow cookers help less expensive, leaner cuts of meat become tender and shrink less, helping you have economical, healthy meals. With food cooking at lower temperatures, though, it is important to […]

WRITTEN BY: Pat Brinkman, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Fayette County

REVIEWED BY: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County

SOURCES:

  • Driessen, S. and Peterson-Vangsness, G. (2016). Slow cookers and food safety. University of Minnesota Extension. http://www.extension.umn.edu/food/food-safety/preserving/safe-meals/slow-cooker-safety/
  • Jeffers, M.K. (2017). Cook Slow to Save Time: Four Important Slow Cooker Food Safety Tips. https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/2017/10/cook-slow-to-save-time.html
  • USDA. (2013). Slow Cookers and Food Safety. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/appliances-and-thermometers/slow-cookers-and-food-safety/

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