T
he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick and approximately 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. Needless to say, food borne diseases constitute an important public health issue in the United States as well as creating an economic burden. That’s why we continue to hold our three-hour ServSafe Food Handler Classes around Wildcat District.
In June, we hosted two workshops in Independence and in Fredonia. Participants included employees of long term care facilities, volunteers from churches, a 4-H family, a corrections officer, and a couple working with K-State to start up a BBQ business. Employees and volunteers handle food for the public in lots of places. When these food handlers are aware of good food safety practices, the risk for foodborne illness is reduced for the entire community. This is a case where basic knowledge applied can actually save lives.
Some learning and planned changes noted on participant surveys included:
--I plan to take everything I have learned today and use what I have learned at work and at home.
--I plan just to think more about what foods (I’m preparing) and what I need to do.
--Today I learned that you may thaw meat in the microwave IF you finish cooking it right away. (several made this comment)
--I learned that a hand sanitizer is designed to be used AFTER washing hands.
--I learned the proper cooking temperatures for various meats.
--I plan to not thaw food on the kitchen counter.
KSRE Farmers’ Market Booth Promotes Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Judging from the samples of “Chinese Cabbage Salad” we served, Heather and I estimated that we shared directly with close to 100 people at the Independence Saturday Farmers’ Market on June 9. We also distributed information about selecting and storing fresh fruits and vegetables along with having many different recipes available for people who stopped by our booth.
In addition, our KSRE booth was prepared to offer dial gauge testing for canners along with a wealth of informational facts sheets and links to websites to assist market goers who needed help with canning, freezing or drying those fresh fruits and vegetables.
We certainly enjoyed meeting and interacting with the many customers and vendors alike, and were excited when a couple of different food samplers even commented that they planned to make the Chinese Cabbage Salad recipe that weekend to share at family and community activities they were attending.