Holiday Baking: Say NO to Raw Dough!

It’s the season for holiday baking, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) warns consumers not to consume raw dough this holiday season or at any other time of the year.  When you prepare homemade cookie dough, cake mixes, or even bread, you may be tempted to taste a bite before it is fully cooked.  Steer […]

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To Eat or Not to Eat: Decorative Products on Foods Can be Unsafe

Edible glitter cake balls Baking fancy cookies and cakes for the holidays?  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants you to know that some glitters and dusts promoted for use in foods may, in fact, contain materials that should not be eaten.  Many decorative glitters and dusts are sold over the Internet and in craft and bakery […]

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Guidelines for Consuming Late Season Produce Exposed to Floodwater

Heavy rains and the flowing waters that result can contaminate plants growing in the garden and create a food safety hazard.  As floodwater moves into your garden, it can carry raw sewage overflow, farm and domestic animal waste, river or pond water, and agricultural run-off, all of which can be sources of human pathogens such […]

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Fruits and Vegetables – Healthy Many Ways!

Lorre Kolb’s interview with Barb Ingham, UW-Extension Food Scientist with the Department of Food Science at the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. TRANSCRIPT Lorre Kolb: Eating healthy; including more fruits and vegetables in your diet. We’re visiting today with Barb Ingham, Extension Food Safety Specialist, Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension, in the College […]

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Tips for Keeping Your Family Safe from Foodborne Illnesses

Barb Ingham, UW-Extension Food Scientist Department of Food Science UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences bhingham@wisc.edu TRANSCRIPT Lorre Kolb: Outbreaks linked to fresh produce. We’re visiting today with Barb Ingham, Extension Food Safety Specialist, Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension, in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and I’m Lorre Kolb. Barb, why are […]

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Safe Preserving: Flavored Vinegars

Flavored vinegars are very easy to prepare and delicious with summer-time salads.  They are favored by chefs for adding excitement to special dishes.  Cooking at home is also enlivened by the blended flavor of vinegar and herbs, fruits, vegetables, and/or spices.  And because they are naturally so high in acid, flavored vinegars allow more creativity than […]

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Wash Your Hands, Not Your Poultry (or Other Meat)

Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) and other meat should NOT be washed before cooking.  Washing poultry and other meat spreads germs to other areas of the kitchen, and is not effective at removing bacteria that may be present.  A study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology illustrates why it’s a bad idea to wash meat and poultry.  […]

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Now is the Time for Strengthening Families to Prevent Youth Drug Use!

The evidence-based Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP 10-14) is a cost-effective substance use prevention and skills building program that brings parents and their youth ages 10-14 together in highly interactive sessions that improve parenting skills, build life skills in youth, and strengthen family bonds. In a series of research studies, the Mindfulness-enhanced Strengthening Families […]

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Food Safety & Backyard Poultry

In 2017, live poultry was responsible for 10 Salmonella outbreaks in the United States, sickening more than 1,100 people across 48 states and killing one.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns individuals that contact with live poultry or their environment can make people sick with Salmonella infections.  Live poultry can carry Salmonella bacteria while still appearing […]

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Start at Home to Help Fight Foodborne Illness

European Union member countries recently released data on foodborne outbreaks in Europe in 2016.  Results showed that 205 of the 521 “strong-evidence” outbreaks, or 39%, were caused by the consumption of food in private homes.  The number of outbreaks linked to food consumed in homes far exceeded the number of outbreaks linked to food in restaurants, […]

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