Best Ways to Rinse Produce

 

 

 

 

 

My Sister-in-law texted me:  how do you wash your produce?

Me:  Water

SIL: Don’t you use soap or something?

Me:  No just lots of fresh running water.

SIL:  Dr. on YouTube says to use soap in the sink.

Me:  That will make you sick.

SIL: So how do you kill the germs?

Me:  Don’t want to kill them, just slide them down the drain.

 

OK, first let’s set the record straight. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there is no evidence that food or food packaging is involved with the transmission of COVID-19 (up-to-date information is available on their website ).  Like all other viruses, it needs a living host —which could be a person or an animal — on which to grow.  Viruses do not grow in food. While the chances of this happening are very low, the virus could potentially be on the food if a fellow shopper or store worker with the virus sneezed or coughed on it.  So washing your hands after touching food and packaging is a prudent activity. Remember this is a respiratory illness not a gastrointestinal illness, the virus needs to get into your respiratory system to make you sick.

Back to the instructions:  don’t touch your face, nose, and mouth and wash your hands (with soap and water) a lot.

Produce should be handled all the time, not just during this COVID-19 pandemic, using good food safety practices.

  • Wash your hands and counter tops before handling produce.
  • Wash the produce thoroughly in fresh running water.
  • Even wash foods that you’re going to peel because dirt or bacteria can be transferred from the skin onto the moist meaty section of the food when you slice or peel it.

Check out the FDA’s 7 Tips for Cleaning Fruits, Vegetables for specifics: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/7-tips-cleaning-fruits-vegetables

Despite what you may have seen on social media, you should not wash produce in soap, detergent, sanitizer or any chemical disinfectant. If produce is washed it soap, the soap may be absorbed by the food or you may not get it washed off completely, this could cause gastrointestinal problems.

Plain water is good enough. Several studies have been done looking at washing produce with commercial produce washes and they found that they are no more effective than running water.

Be a good consumer. Don’t shop if you’re sick. Sanitize shopping carts and hands as you enter stores. Don’t touch items you don’t plan on purchasing.  Sanitize your hands when you leave the store and wash them when you get home.

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS

Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

 

References: Washing Food: Does it promote food safety?  United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/2ceaa425-0488-4e86-a397-e2d9c470fc4a/Washing_Food.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Bulletin #4336 Best Ways to Wash Fruits and Vegetables, University of Maine Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Cooperative Extension https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/04/wash-fruits-vegetables.jpg

Looking for a project? Clean the pantry

 

 

 

I’m betting that there are many folks like me that put off cleaning the pantry  by saying “someday I’ll have the time”.  Right now some of us have that time unplanned time at home, so…attack the pantry.

Goals:

  • Have the most nutritious meals possible from what’s on hand
  • Don’t leave your home
  • Eliminate food waste by using up what’s already there
  • Save money on groceries
  • Clean the pantry and freezer
  • Teach kids meal planning
  • Get organized

Start by taking everything out and putting on a near-by counter or table.  Wipe down the empty shelves and vacuum the cracks and crevices.

Then come up with a strategy for how you want it arranged as it goes back in.  A written inventory could help with meal planning and future shopping.

As you’re sorting and organizing the dry or canned foods you can check the dates. To set the record straight, the dates on food has nothing to do with food safety.  There is nothing illegal about stores selling shelf staple foods that are beyond the date marked. (The one exception here is infant formula and some baby food.)

Packages frequently have words like “best by” or “use by” on them.  Note that it doesn’t  say “do not eat” after this date.  These dates are provided by the food manufacturers as a way for you to judge the quality and freshness. Putting dates on packages is entirely at the discretion of the manufacturer and not required.  After all, they would like you to eat their food when it is at its best.

Many unopened shelf-stable products will be of good quality long past the date.  Use the dates to help you rotate them, and use the oldest first. Non-perishable foods such as sugar, dried beans, spices and canned goods do not spoil unless they are handled carelessly.  They will lose quality and even nutritional value, however, if stored for a long time, even if stored under ideal conditions. So it’s best to use them as soon as possible.

In general, canned foods will be safe for a long time.  The rule-of-thumb is high acid foods like tomatoes and fruits are good for 12 to 18 months. Other low acids foods like meats and vegetables will last two to five years.

Check the cans carefully. Pitch any that are dented, bulging, rusted or leaking. As with packaged dry foods, the quality and nutrition of canned foods may deteriorate over time, but if the can is in good shape there should be no food safety concerns.  Check the boxed and packaged foods for rips, tears and signs that bugs or rodents have gotten inside.

I like to look at this as a challenge. Can you “get by” without going to the store for a couple of weeks?  How many meals can you make from what’s on hand?

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS

Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

References:

Shelf-Stable Food Storage UDFS/FSIS  https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/shelf-stable-food-safety/ct_index

 

Shop from your freezer

Not wanting to go to the grocery store and have more time at home to cook than usual? Looking for meals you can cook for dinner from what’s already in your house? It’s time to shop from your freezer.

Do you really know what’s in there? Take the time to pull things out and make decisions if I you’ll ever use that food or not. You might want to do an inventory list so you can remember what’s there. Update this list as you use up the food.

Some keys for freezer storage:

The “rule of thumb” for freezing fresh foods (like turkey, hamburger, fresh fruits and vegetables) is that it will keep for one year. Precooked foods and leftovers are best if eaten within three to four months. These time recommendations are for quality not safety.

This loss of quality is what’s often called “freezer burn” and does not necessarily make food unsafe.   This can be dehydration, deterioration of quality or just an “off flavor”.  Safety wise food can stay in the freezer longer if there has not been any loss of power and the food has been kept at zero degrees.  Think quality vs. safety. The US Food and Drug Administration has a great chart online with recommended freezer storage times.

Another key to keeping your freezer items under control and to help with the inventory is to label all items with the description and date.  You may think you’ll always remember what’s in that package, but once frozen applesauce can look like gravy and kale can look like chopped broccoli.  Mystery food.

If you have find you have a collection of these unknown items….have a Surprise Dinner! Thaw out all of these unlabeled items and serve as a smorgasbord.  It may not be balanced nutrition, it may not all go together, but you’ve accomplished several things – cleaned the freezer, learned what’s there and fun (ny) dinner.

When looking at these items and making decisions remember the old saying, “when in doubt about the age, the quality or the safety of a food….throw it out.”

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS

Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Reference:

Cold Food Storage https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/1d403c11-63f0-4671-990e-51c9f8f05b2c/Cold-Food-Storage-Magnet-2017.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

 

 

Caution: Shopping Excitement

Everyone’s mind right now if focusing on COVID-19.   If you’re like me, you’re planning fewer trips to the grocery store and “stocking up” a little more while there.

Since I hadn’t been to the store in about a month our supply of fresh foods was gone.  When we finally went to the store and I was thrilled to replenish and may have gotten a little carried away.  I’m thinking I was on-the-edge of “over-purchasing” (hopefully that’s a step-down from a hoarder.) I’m working on using the food up and sharing some with neighbors,  but I have a feeling that others may be in the same boat as me—uncertain of the future and also “eyes bigger than the refrigerator” while shopping.

This “shopping excitement”  could lead to food waste or (even worse) a foodborne illness that could cause you to need a doctor or emergency room (not something any of us want to do right now).

11 of our “tried and true” food safety cautions are even more important to remember now:

  1. Get food into the refrigerator as soon as possible after shopping.  I know some folks are thinking they should leave it in the garage for a couple of days, this may cause more problems with temperatures outside rising into the temperate danger zone.
  2. Check the temperature of your refrigerator. It should be below 40 degrees F. But keep it higher enough not to freeze your lettuce and other fresh foods.
  3. Don’t overfill the refrigerator.  Allow for air circulation. Practice FIFO in your refrigerator—First In, First Out.
  4. Wash your hands before beginning to cook. Most folks are getting better at this.
  5. Wash the kitchen countertop before you begin to cook.  If you have a cause-for-concern you might want to sanitize or disinfect the work surfaces in addition to cleaning.
  6. Store fresh meat and poultry in a pan on the bottom of the refrigerator so it won’t drip onto fresh fruits and vegetables that won’t be cooked.  Sealed containers are the most ideal type to use for raw meat, poultry, and fish.
  7. If you’re doing bulk purchasing of fresh meat or chicken be sure to take care—mishandling of these foods has been linked to foodborne illnesses in the past.  Avoid getting the juices in your vehicle or on other foods, utensils,  countertops, and other kitchen surfaces.  Freeze what you can’t use within 7 days.
  8. Remember meat and poultry should be cooked to the minimum recommended internal temperature.  Chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees F, ground beef to 155 degrees F and whole cuts of beef and pork to 145 degrees F.  Use a thermometer to check temps—don’t guess.
  9. After cooking and eating be sure to put any leftovers into the refrigerator as soon as possible.
  10. If you’ve “over-purchased”  fresh fruits and vegetables consider freezing or preserving them for future use.  The National Center for Home Food Preservation has research-based instructions at https://nchfp.uga.edu
  11. If you have “over-purchased” canned foods that you won’t be able to use, check with your local food bank or food pantry, they may be in need of replenishment.

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Farmer’s Markets & COVID-19

May marks the beginning of the farmer’s market season in many parts of the country. With COVID-19, most markets will open as planned, with social distancing, handwashing stations, online ordering, curbside delivery, and other changes to make shopping safe for everyone.

This is a good time to encourage your clients to support their local farmer’s market or farm stand. Farmers aren’t selling as much produce to restaurants, so they need the income as well as something to do with their harvest. And we need healthy food!

Here are six teaching tips for farmer’s market season:

1. Let your clients know the many benefits of shopping farm stands and markets.

  • Markets are a source of healthy, locally-grown food.
  • Locally-grown food is in season and at its peak for taste and nutrition.
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables supply a host of nutrients that boost your immune system.
  • If farmers go out of business, this source of healthy local food won’t be available to us in the future.

2. Emphasize that fresh produce from farmer’s markets and farm stands (and for that matter, grocery stores) is safe to eat.

  • According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there is no evidence that food or food packaging is involved with the transmission of COVID-19 (up-to-date information is available on their website and on this PDF).
  • Follow basic COVID-19 safety guidelines when shopping:
    • Check before you go – some markets and farmers are doing online-only pre-ordering.
    • Wash your hands before and after shopping.
    • Wear a mask and stay at least six feet from others.
    • Don’t touch the food. Many vendors will have produce bagged and ready. Let them get it for you.
    • Pay with your debit/credit/SNAP card and avoid using cash.
    • Be patient – with extra safety measures it may take more time than usual.
    • Get what you need and go – avoid socializing.
  • When you get home, rinse all produce (follow FDA’s normal tips).

3. Remind clients that real food grows … and you can find it at the farmer’s market! See our beautiful Real Food Grows poster that conveys this message.

  • Did the food you’re looking at grow into what it now is, or has it been processed with other elements to create a new food?
  • Processed foods are usually calorie-dense, high in unhealthy types of fat, refined sugars, and sodium, and low in fiber.

4. Use our poster to teach people how fruits and veggies from the farmer’s market make you a winner!

  • Weight – fruits and veggies are naturally low in calories and help you maintain a healthy weight.
  • I am healthier – eating a diet rich in fruits and veggies is associated with a lower risk for many chronic diseases.
  • Nutrients – fruits and veggies are major contributors for nutrients most people are lacking.

5. Make it fun to learn about the fruits and vegetables you’ll probably see at the farmer’s market with the Vegetable Cooking Program or Name That Fruit and Veggie Game.

6. Remind clients who use SNAP that their food dollars may go further when they buy fresh produce. Most states have programs that provide a dollar for dollar match when you use your SNAP/EBT card to buy fruits and vegetables at farmer’s markets and some retail stores. (Find out more about Double Up Bucks and similar incentive programs here.)

And don’t forget about community supported agriculture (CSA)! Find out what’s available in your area so you can give your clients all the information they need to get a steady supply of fresh, local healthy produce all season long.

Consider Pasteurized Eggs

Eggs are considered potentially risky for some people.  The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) food code puts them on the TCS (foods that need time and temperature control for safety) list.

The major concern is Salmonella which ranks second (11%) of all foodborne illnesses in the United States. (Note:  Norovirus is first with 58%).

For the average healthy adult, the risk of getting sick from a Salmonella contaminated egg is very low. It is estimated that as few as three in 10,000 eggs are contaminated.  But it’s important to remember that children, the elderly, pregnant women and those people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to a foodborne illness. I know a sanitarian that says she’ll eat an undercooked egg, but is careful not to give one to her children.

Typically, people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps between 12 and 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most individuals recover without treatment.  In some cases, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.

One way to reduce the risk from Salmonella bacteria in eggs is to cook them until they reach at least 145 degrees F.  At this temperature both the whites and yolks are firm. Yes, this means the yolks should not be runny. This rules out sunny-side-up, over-easy, soft boiled, runny scrambled and my poached egg. For dishes containing eggs like quiche and souffle, they should be cooked until an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit is reached.

There is an alternative — but it does cost a little more — use pasteurized shell eggs. These eggs can be served undercooked without a risk. While these products look like and can be used like regular “shell” eggs, they have been heated to destroy potential bacteria. Look for them in the egg section of the grocery store.  But read the packages carefully, make sure the carton says “pasteurized”.  Some “specialty” shell eggs such as organic, lower cholesterol, higher vitamin — are NOT pasteurized. Usually, pasteurized eggs have a marking on the shell itself to help you not confuse it with “regular” eggs.

Other sources of pasteurized egg products include whole-out-of shell eggs (liquid eggs—frequently used in restaurants) and low-cholesterol egg products (made primarily with egg whites). These pasteurized products usually come in containers that look like little milk cartons and can be found both fresh and frozen in most grocery stores. They are great if you have a recipe that calls for an uncooked egg such as egg nog, hollandaise sauce, homemade mayonnaise, and uncooked ice cream and will be serving it to potentially “at-risk” individuals.

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS. Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

 

References:

Food Safety Talk 156: Rank the Kato’s, June 16, 2018, http://foodsafetytalk.com/food-safety-talk/2018/6/16/food-safety-talk-156-rank-the-katos

Just a poached egg https://news.nutritioneducationstore.com/just-a-poached-egg/

Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/2011-foodborne-estimates.html

What Causes Food Poisoning?     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention                                                               https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html

Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart  https://www.fsis.usda.gov/safetempchart

 

Healthy Eating on a Budget with a Twist

During this busy time of year, people may not be thinking much about healthy eating. And their plan to stick to a budget may have gone out the window on Black Friday. But come January, lots of folks will be resolving to do better in both of these areas, making it a great time to talk about healthy eating on a budget.

Our Healthy On a Budget poster shows four steps to choosing foods that are good for your wallet and your health:

  1. Buy in season and on sale.
  2. Buy whole ingredients in bulk, not processed foods.
  3. Buy only what you need.
  4. Skip junk food that runs up your grocery bill but provides little nutrition value.

To add a twist, incorporate food safety into this conversation by talking about leftovers. Whether it’s a serving of stir-fry or a bag of carrots, throwing out food is like throwing money away. At the same time, there’s food safety to consider.

Cover all the bases with these resources we found on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website:

  • Handle leftovers properly! This keeps them safe to eat, but it also helps preserve the quality of the food. After all, who wants leftovers that taste like whatever else is in the refrigerator? Follow these tips from the USDA on wrapping, storing, thawing, and reheating leftovers.
  • It’s a fact: leftovers get lost! Whether it’s a container of stir-fry in the back of the refrigerator or a bag of carrots hidden in the bottom of the produce drawer, sometimes you don’t know whether it’s time to throw it out or keep it. Take the guesswork out of it with this chart or use the USDA FoodKeeper app.
    • You can download the free FoodKeeper app to your phone or tablet, or use the online version on your computer. It’s a great way to make sure you’re not keeping food too long or throwing it out too soon. For example, a simple search will tell you that carrots keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks but broccoli stays fresh only 3-5 days.
    • You can search foods in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
    • If you use the app, you can add products to your device’s calendar and receive notifications when they are nearing the end of their recommended storage date. You may never lose leftovers to the back of the fridge or freezer again!

Here we go again!

Yes, you’ve probably heard there is another recall of ROMAINE lettuce. It was obvious when our local grocery store pulled all the products that contained romaine. The shelves looked empty.

This is the fifth such recall due to E.coli O157:H7 since late 2017.

According to a Food Safety News article https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2019/11/letter-from-the-editor-lets-call-the-whole-thing-off/ over 360 people have been infected during these outbreaks with many hospitalizations and at least six deaths.

This recall started with packaged salads but now expanded to all ROMAINE lettuce grown in
the Salinas, California area.  Read your labels.  Many are now saying where the lettuce was grown. If the package contains ROMAINE but you don’t know the origin, don’t take chances.   The package I had in my refrigerator just said product of the US but also emphasized it did NOT contain any Romaine.

The same goes for salads in restaurants and salad bars. Ask the staff —hopefully, their suppliers have verified where the lettuce was harvested. If they don’t know, don’t take a chance.

E.coli O157:H7 is a nasty bacterium that can lead to potentially life-threatening kidney failure —especially in young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.  For many years we’ve associated these bacteria with undercooked ground beef. But these recent recalls show that ROMAINE is also a major potential source.  The pathogen is killed by sufficient heat but obviously, since lettuce and salads aren’t cooked they have become a source. This is not something that you can wash off the lettuce.

E.coli O157:H7 has also been associated with unpasteurized (raw) milk and juice, soft cheeses made from raw milk, and raw fruits and sprouts. It has also recently been linked to raw flour.

Right now the recall is ONLY for ROMAINE lettuce (whole heads, hearts, salad mixes with romaine, baby romaine and Caesar salad mixes). Other leafy greens have NOT been implicated.

The recall is ONLY for the Salinas, California growing region.  This includes Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Monterey counties in California.

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS

Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

FMI – see GREEN IDEAS 

References:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-115-2019-release

https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2019/o157h7-11-19/index.html

Cranberries for Next Year

Since cranberries are a must for most families at Thanksgiving, I bet there are cranberries in your house right now?

According to the Ag Marketing Research Center, Americans consume nearly 400 million pounds of cranberries per year (that’s about 2.3 pounds a person) and 20% of this is during Thanksgiving week.

Fresh whole cranberries are available in our markets now, but won’t be there for long. The season is September through January.

If you’re buying fresh berries, look for those that are red, ripe, plump, hard and shiny.  Before use, they should be sorted and washed. Take out any bruised, shriveled, soft, spongy or brown berries. White berries are safe to eat; they have just not developed their full color.

They are usually sold in 12-ounce bags that are equal to about 3 cups whole berries or 2 ½ cups of chopped. Fresh berries will keep in the sealed bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Since the season is so short, why not buy a couple of extra bags to freeze for use during the next year?  Instructions on the bag say to simply throw them in the freezer as purchased. These berries won’t be washed, so you’ll need to wash and sort the frozen berries just before use.  When removed from the freezer and thawed the cranberries will have a soft texture and are best used for cooking and baking.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation encourages rinsing and sorting the berries before freezing. They recommend placing the clean and dry berries on a tray so they will freeze individually and then pack loosely into freezer containers or bags.  Like other frozen fruits, cranberries should be added to recipes still frozen to prevent the juices from flowing out of the fruit.

Holiday Food Safety

Holiday Quiz

Here is our favorite recipe for Cranberry Sauce.

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

 

 

Got Chickens?

Backyard poultry —cute little chicks and ducklings—are becoming popular with both rural and urban families.  This can be an educational opportunity for families as well as a way to have fresh eggs.

But, backyard poultry has been recently been linked to illnesses.  Over 1000 people in several states have become infected with different strains of Salmonella. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at least 175 people have been hospitalized and two people have died.  Most of those who are ill are children younger than five years old.  Poultry can carry the bacteria and not appear sick themselves.

The CDC offers these recommendations to those who have backyard flocks: 

  • Wash your hands with soap and water right after touching backyard poultry and adults should supervise hand-washing by young children if they come in contact with the chickens and chicken equipment.
  • Children under five (and adults over 65 and those with chronic illnesses) should avoid handling chicks, ducklings or other poultry because their bodies may not have the ability to resist infection.
  • Children should not be allowed to play or eat in areas where the poultry roam.
  • Keep other household pets away from the chicken area—they may carry the bacteria to the family and home.
  • Don’t kiss or snuggle backyard poultry.
  • Keep chickens out of the garden. Fresh chicken droppings can be a risk of contamination to fresh produce.
  • Don’t let the poultry in your house.
  • Keep shoes on while working with poultry outside of the house. Remove those shoes before going into the house!
  • Wash the chicken’s equipment outside and not in the kitchen with the people’s food and dishes.

While as cute as can be, take care and be mindful of this potential risk. 

Cheryle Jones Syracuse. MS

Professor Emeritus

https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/farm-animals/backyard-poultry.html