The Division of Extension has developed info-graphics that depict best practices for gardening in community spaces this summer. A community garden can be a great place to meet new friends and exchange gardening tips. This summer of COVID-19 there are some practices that will keep everyone safe and healthy. Feeling ill? Stay at home. Garden […]
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Spring is a time when we prepare gardens for new seedlings, clear pots for new flowers, and enjoy fresh, locally produced fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, eggs and much more. While there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted by food, take some commonsense precautions and help keep everyone safe and healthy this summer. At […]
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Which is better, wooden or plastic cutting boards? It turns out, there is no easy answer. Consumers may choose either wood or a nonporous surface such as plastic, marble or glass – any of these materials can work. What’s important is how you handle your cutting board! The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline has some special […]
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As some remote work continues, it’s a good time to remember that the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is available to personally answer food safety questions during the weekday, all year round. The hotline focuses on answering questions about meat, poultry, or egg products, and tries to help callers find answers to other topics as […]
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It’s no fun to wake up with a sore throat or blocked sinuses. Maybe you head to the doctor, and maybe you don’t. Knowing whether the illness is caused by a bacterium or a virus can help you understand possible treatment options. A bacterium — more commonly seen written in its plural form, bacteria – […]
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Fingers crossed, the weather will continue to warm and more and more people can get out into their gardens. If you garden in a community space, it will seem different this year. An earlier update shared information on community gardening this summer. In the community where I garden, we’ve installed foot-operated hand washing stations with […]
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The Partnership for Food Safety Education lists four basic steps to help prevent foodborne illness: Clean, Cook, Chill and Separate. These food safety steps are important because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that foodborne microorganisms are responsible for 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths in the United States every […]
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Research to be published in the September 2020 issue of Food Control confirms that consumers are wasting food due to confusion over food product dating. An online survey of 1042 U.S. adults evaluated consumers’ use and knowledge of food label dates, and consumers’ habits related to disposing of food that would likely still be safe for […]
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The coronavirus that we are all dealing with this year has some startling differences and also some similarities from other viruses that we have heard about before. About 15-30% of common colds every year are caused by a type of coronavirus. COVID-19 is a disease caused by a particularly virulent and contagious coronavirus. What is […]
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The CDC estimates that 48 million Americans every year get sick with a foodborne illness, with cases of foodborne illness tending to spike in the summer. While grilling outside with our family can be fun, it can also lead to food poisoning. Now is certainly no time to get sick with an illness that is […]
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