Food Safety in a Minute - WSU Extension

Episode transcript [Music] For Food Safety in a Minute, this is Susie Craig. For sixty years, the Food and Drug Administration has tracked heavy metals in our food supply. Even trace amounts of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead in food, water, and air once ingested stay in our bodies. Heavy metals in food come from naturally occurring and environmental sources. Food may be grown in soil or irriga...

Episode transcript [Music] Welcome to Food Safety in a Minute from Washington State University Extension. Smart phones, smart thermostats, smart watches connect us to information anywhere and anytime. Did you know smart devices used in our food system from farming to food processing reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses? Food manufacturers use smart sensors for real-time data monitoring. Innovati...

[Music] Happy holidays and happy New Year from food safety in a minute. We're on a holiday break this week but return on January 8th, 2025. I'm Susie Craig from Washington State University Extension. Thanks for listening to Food Safety in a Minute. [Music]

Episode transcript [Music] This is Food Safety in a Minute, I’m Susie Craig. Keep holiday food delicious and safe following time and temperature guidelines from the United States Department of Agriculture. The temperature danger zone for food safety is 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit where disease-causing bacteria multiply quickly possibly causing foodborne illness. Temperature and time matter. After...

Episode transcript [Music] Alternate Ways to Cook Holiday Turkey From Washington State University Extension, I’m Susie Craig. Are last minute power outages from a winter storm, failure to thaw your turkey, or an oven which unexpectedly breaks down coming between you and the perfect holiday turkey? The Food Safety and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture has you covered...

Episode Transcript [Music] Why Does Fruitcake Last So Long? Welcome to Food Safety in a Minute from Washington State University Extension. Focus of humor, the longevity of a holiday fruitcake. According to the USDA, in a pantry, fruitcakes stay fresh and safe to eat for six months. When frozen, for up to a year. Why does fruitcake last so long? Because of the ingredients and preparation. Dried fru...

Episode transcript [Music] I’m Susie Craig. Welcome to Food Safety in a Minute. It’s a busy time of the year. Minimize time in the kitchen, go easy on your budget, and minimize food waste by taking inventory and using frozen leftovers. Frozen leftovers maintain quality between two and six months of storage. Use the oldest first, especially if you’re tempted to use Thanksgiving leftovers. For flexi...

Episode transcript [Music] Welcome to Food Safety in a Minute from Washington State University Extension. Food, often large quantities of food are part of Thanksgiving celebrations. Here are two suggestions to maximize your budget and minimize food waste while protecting your family from foodborne illness. • Practice the Two-Hour Rule after cooking, serving, and when sending leftovers home with gu...

Episode transcript [Music] From Washington State University Extension, I’m Susie Craig. From Pinterest to online magazines, Thanksgiving recipes are everywhere. The turkey may look picture perfect, but when you combine the busyness of the season, work and family responsibilities, and a 15-pound turkey you make once a year, it’s easy to overlook the basics of food safety. For answers to all your tu...

Episode transcript [Music] I’m Susie Craig for Food Safety in a Minute. Is it too early to buy a Thanksgiving turkey? It depends on your personal preference of fresh or frozen. Either way, the timing of your purchase matters for food safety. Turkeys cooled and held at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below are labeled “frozen” or “previously frozen”. There’s plenty of time between now and Thanksgiving to p...

Episode transcript: [Music] From Washington State University Extension, this is Food Safety in a Minute. Do you wonder what’s in your Thanksgiving turkey? Fed corn and soybean meal, turkeys reach maturity in six months. While antibiotics may be used to prevent disease and increase feed efficiency, there is a withdrawal period, so no residues are present at slaughter. Hormones are not allowed for u...

[music] I’m Susie Craig. Welcome to Food Safety in a Minute. Are you concerned about what to do with leftover chocolate candy from Halloween? From a food safety perspective, the risk of foodborne pathogens is very low because of a natural preservative in chocolate and low water activity which bacteria need to grow and multiply. Marlene Greiger of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach recomm...

[music] From Washington State University Extension, this is Food Safety in a Minute. If there was a Halloween scale for excitement from a child’s perspective, it would be a ten. Dressing up, visiting neighbors, collecting and consuming candy. From the Food and Drug Administration, here are ways to have a food-safe Halloween. • Talk with your children about collecting and eating candy before they l...

[music] This is Food Safety in a Minute. I’m Susie Craig. Planning a Halloween party this year? Robert Gravani, food science Professor Emeritus at Cornell University has these recommendations to prevent foodborne illness at your party: • If serving perishable foods such as sandwiches, cheese and fruit platters, or desserts with whipped crème or crème cheese frostings, refrigerate until serving. Av...

[music] From Washington State University Extension, this is Food Safety in a Minute. Did you know wastewater may provide early warning signs of foodborne disease? The National Wastewater Surveillance System was established in 2020 to monitor Covid. In a recently reported study led by Ed Dudley at Pennsylvania State University, disease-causing Salmonella was identified in wastewater and patients. A...

[music] This is Susie Craig from Washington State University Extension. From TikTok to Pinterest, there are photos of refrigerator shelves filled with plates of uncovered raw meat, crystal pitchers of milk, framed photographs, bowls of fruit, even twinkle lights. It’s called fridgescaping. Decorative plates and vintage crystal pitchers may contain lead, which is unsafe for food contact. Removing f...

From Washington State University Extension, this is Food Safety in a Minute. It’s National Food Safety Education Month. A great time to teach your children and grandchildren about food safety. Children are more vulnerable to bacteria and viruses leading to foodborne illness. Hands-on learning, where children actively participate in food preparation following food safety guidelines, is highly effec...

From Washington State University Extension, this is Food Safety in a Minute. Consumers often think foreign objects in food originate from processors. That isn’t always true. Consider easily chipped, breakable items in your kitchen made of glass or plastic: Glass measuring cups, containers, baking dishes, and thermometers. Accidentally chipping them during food preparation and storage may lead to u...

From Washington State University Extension, this is Food Safety in a Minute. September is National Food Safety Education Month. Why is food safety important? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, forty-eight million of us get sick every year. That’s one in six people in the U.S. 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die. It’s easy to learn about food safety, apply your new kno...

[music] Welcome to Food Safety in a Minute. Did you know thirty to sixty-eight percent of teens consume energy drinks regularly? Considered dietary supplements, energy drinks are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Marketed as mental and physical enhancers, teens may use them to compensate for lack of sleep and athletic performance. They often contain carbonated water, sugar, and lo...

I’m Susie Craig from Washington State University Extension. Molds are microscopic fungi. This episode explores the danger of toxins produced by a couple of molds. Called aflatoxins, they may lead to illness in livestock and people. Aflatoxin B1 or AFB1 is the most harmful, known for its powerful carcinogenic effects. Another aflatoxin M1 is a metabolite found in the milk of animals who have consum...

This is Food Safety in a Minute from Washington State University Extension. Are foods with mold safe to eat? The answer, “it depends”. Molds are microscopic fungi, threadlike filaments that extend past the surface of the food. Some molds cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. A few of them produce mycotoxins, that may make you sick. If you find mold on food in your kitchen, the USDA re...

From Washington State University Extension, this is Food Safety in a Minute. There’s a new system for reporting foodborne illnesses and food safety concerns in Washington State. Called the Foodborne Illness Notification System or FINS for short, consumers and professionals are encouraged to report food safety concerns online. The new system allows for anonymous reporting as well. This has several...

FINS site: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/illness-and-disease-z/foodborne-illness Click here to take a quick survey: https://bit.ly/2E3hR5Q Click here for a written transcript of this episode: https://tinyurl.com/mr37shmr

Click here to take a quick survey: https://bit.ly/2E3hR5Q Click here for a written transcript of this episode: https://tinyurl.com/2y7z4tkw