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Packed Lunches: Cutting Corners, But Not Food Safety

August 15, 2017 Karen Hunter, Executive Correspondence and Issues Management Staff, Food Safety and Inspection Service

As a working mom of four boys, ages 8 and under, I’m asked on a near-daily basis: “how do you DO it?!” It’s a carefully orchestrated dance: keeping my family fed, healthy, dropped off at school and daycare at the appropriate times, with their respective accompaniments, whether homework, snacks or...

Health and Safety

When Something Strange Happens to Your Food - Who You Gonna Call?

April 03, 2017 Meredith Carothers, USDA Food Safety Education Staff

It’s Friday morning and you get out of bed, ready for another day at work, and you are excited that the pot roast you put in your slow cooker the night before is hot and ready to pack for lunch. You run into the kitchen and notice the light on the slow cooker is out. The flashing 12:00 on the...

Health and Safety

Win Super Bowl Viewing Party Host of the Year with our Food Safety Tips

February 03, 2017 Janice López-Muñoz, Food Safety Education Staff, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA

It’s coming. The most popular TV event of the year — Super Bowl Sunday!!! That means the four F’s…Fun, Family, Friends and Food. The pressure is on. You don’t want to be the Super Bowl party host that your guests call — or even worse, post to social media — saying they got foodborne illness. If that...

Health and Safety

A Holiday Get Together: Cooking for Friends and Family

December 19, 2016 Clara Yuvienco, MPH, CHES, Food Safety Education Staff, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA

The holidays are a time for celebrating with family and friends. Office parties, holiday buffets and potluck dinners offer great opportunities to exchange gifts and goodwill. But if food is not properly handled, they can also be a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria that causes foodborne...

Health and Safety

USDA's FoodKeeper App Uses Open Data to Keep Consumers Safe and Food Fresh

November 29, 2016 Chris Bernstein, Director, Food Safety Education, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA

The FSIS FoodKeeper app is an easy way for consumers to keep their food safe by providing valuable advice on storing foods and beverages to maximize freshness and minimize food waste. By helping users understand food storage, the app empowers consumers to select methods that extend shelf life and...

Health and Safety

How to Safely Thaw a Turkey

November 18, 2016 Marianne Gravely, Food Safety Education Staff, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA

While frozen, a turkey is safe indefinitely. As soon as it begins to thaw, bacteria that may have been present before freezing will begin to grow again. There are three safe ways to defrost a turkey: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in a microwave oven. Refrigerator Thawing (Recommended) The...

Initiatives Health and Safety

Celebrating Seasonal Variety at the USDA Fall Harvest Festival

October 25, 2016 Annie Ceccarini, Program Manager, The People's Garden Initiative and USDA Farmers Market

Can you describe your favorite thing about fall? Would it be picking pumpkins, jumping carefree into a pile of crisp leaves, admiring the brilliant riots of color in our national forests and grasslands, eating fall vegetables, or something else entirely? You can celebrate fall in all of these ways...

Initiatives

Are You and Your Food Prepared for a Power Outage?

September 26, 2016 Meredith Carothers, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA

Every year, the month of September is recognized as National Preparedness Month. It is a good time to think about emergency planning for any disaster or emergency. Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make an Emergency Communication Plan. Weather can be extremely unpredictable, as many communities throughout...

Conservation Health and Safety

Flooding: A Checklist for Small and Very Small Meat, Poultry and Egg Inspection Processing Plants

September 21, 2016 Ben Dinsmore, Senior Emergency Response Specialist, Office of Data Integration and Food Protection, Emergency Coordination Staff, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

Rivers rise. The ground is saturated. Levees fail. Floods happen, and they happen beside rivers, along the coasts, in deserts and in city streets. Flooding might be a fact of nature but that does not mean you have to lose your business and possessions to flood waters. It is never too early to...

Health and Safety

In Conversation with #WomeninAg: Dr. Dawn D. Walters

July 28, 2016 Kristen Booze, USDA FSIS Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Education

Every month, USDA shares the story of a woman in agriculture who is leading the industry and helping other women succeed along the way. This month, we hear from Dr. Dawn D. Walters, a public health veterinarian and current Enforcement, Investigations, and Analysis Officer in Arizona. Dr. Walters has...

Health and Safety Initiatives
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