With warmer weather appearing, many gardens are opening. I garden in a community garden that has personal plots and a large food pantry garden. I wanted to share the practices that we are sharing for our gardeners this summer. These best practices are based on public health guidance and what is best for our garden […]
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Studies have shown that the virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for up to several days. Is this cause for concern? A recent study from the National Institute of Health noted that under laboratory conditions, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces. Scientists found that SARS-CoV-2 was […]
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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 a […]
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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 avoidable! […]
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We know that the coronavirus is a respiratory illness, not a foodborne illness. We also know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends two primary strategies to help control COVID-19: physical distancing and hand washing. So why are we seeing people wearing face masks? The CDC advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of […]
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Several very large beef, pork, and poultry slaughter plants have shut down over recent weeks due, at least in part, to COVID-19. This has led to a disruption in the supply chain. Is meat and poultry that we find in the grocery store still safe to prepare and eat? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, […]
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When used correctly, chemical sanitizers and disinfectants can be important in helping to fight disease. Chemicals must pass certain tests to be classified as either a sanitizer or a disinfectant, or both! Sanitizers reduce the number of bacteria by 99.99% in one test. Disinfectants are shown to be effective against 99.99% of bacteria in multiple tests. Disinfectants that work […]
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We have heard that the U.S. food supply is safe and secure during the coronavirus epidemic, but we’ve also heard that some farms have had to dispose of food items rather than send them to processing. Is our food supply still secure? Dr. Frank Yiannis, deputy commissioner of FDA, indicates that there is plenty of food; it’s just […]
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The COVID-19 pandemic brings new challenges for parents who do not live in the same house. During this time of increased anxiety and stress, it is important to work together to parent your children. Here are a few tips from Dr. Maggie Kerr, State Specialist with UW-Madison, Division of Extension: 1. Communicate Talk with your […]
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With so many meals prepared at home these days and grocery shopping a bit more complicated as we practice physical distancing, it’s important to make sure that leftovers are handled safely so that they don’t go to waste or, even worse, make us sick. Cook food safely. The first step in having safe leftovers is cooking […]
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