Food and Health Communications

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Presentation Ideas -- Food Safety

The end of the summer is a great time to teach food safety. Capture their interest while it is still warm and before the busy school and holiday season.Here is a highlight of new re-search on eating out and food- borne illness:Dr. Melvin Pascall, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University, has spent the past 15 years working to improve food safety, particu- larly with common viruses and if they are killed during sanitation of utensils in foodservice.Here is his advise: EATING OUT:• If you find lipstick on a glass, definitely ask for a new glass, but if you’ve already taken a sip, don’t be too worried that you’ve picked up something. Most lipsticks already contain an antibacterial ingredient.• Forks are the hardest utensils to clean because of the tines, so always check a fork before you use it. High fat foods are the most difficult to get off, especially raw and fried eggs.• Never eat from a dish or plate that has a crack in it. Cracked dishes can harbor bacteria.• Some states require the certificate of inspection to be in plain sight, you may want to pass an establishment that has had any health inspection issues.EATING IN:Most dishwashers have several built in sanitizing steps, but if you wash dishes by hand the three critical “Ts” to remember are time, temperature, and towel dry.• TIME: When washing dishes by hand, wash and rinse immediately to reduce the amount of bacteria that grows on the dish. And take the time to make sure all visible food particles are gone.• TEMPERATURE: wash in hottest water possible to kill bacteria and wash away foods that bacteria can grow on.• TOWEL DRY: dry immediately using a clean fabric or disposable paper towel (best) to prevent airborne bacteria from sticking.Read more here: http://www. newswise.com/articles/ view/578483/?sc=sptn