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Consumer Food Safety

All Consumer Food Safety Content

two whole apples behind a small pile of dehydrated apple slices

Dehydrating Apples

A food dehydrator is a good choice for drying apples and can be used at any time. It is a small appliance that has an electric element for heat with a fan and vents for air circulation.

a garden with several different areas and types of plants growing

Garden Food Safety

Every so often we hear about people getting sick from eating raw produce that got contaminated somewhere on its path from the field to the consumer. Commercial growers are taking great care to keep your food safe, and there are new national rules to guide them. Following are some tips for home gardeners to help keep their fruits and vegetables safe.

three brown eggs

Egg Safety with Holiday Foods

Holiday traditions include making tasty treats from frosted sugar cookies to homemade ice cream. They are all delicious, but hidden bacteria could be lurking in uncooked eggs, so refrain from tasting raw cookie dough or cake batter. Even grade A eggs with clean, uncracked shells can be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis bacteria.

Producer approaching a young dairy calf.

How did a Poultry Germ Change to Cause Severe Disease in Calves and People?

In 2015, a specific strain of a germ called Salmonella heidelberg made 56 people sick in 15 different states.

kitchen worker removing a tray of food for a large refrigerator

Re-heating and Re-eating Food

The general public assumption is that if a food is either microwaved, put in an oven, or heated up in another manner is that it will be safe for consumption. This is not a safe assumption to make when deciding to eat food that has been left out for an extended time.

Various packaged poultry products on display in a cooler at a grocery store.

Looking for Foodborne Germs and Their Resistance to Antibiotics: Poultry

This report analyzes the NARMS results for poultry products for the period of June 2018 through May 2019.

Various cuts of raw pork ready for packaging.

Looking for Foodborne Germs and Their Resistance to Antibiotics: Pork

This report analyzes the NARMS results for pork products for the period of June 2018 through May 2019.

freshly harvested leafy greens

Best Practices When Harvesting Leafy Greens for Market and Home

The harvesting of leafy greens to maintain quality and safety focuses on the key risk factors from the time harvest begins to selling at market. The food safety risk factors involve temperature, time, water, worker hygienic practices, and food contact surfaces.

Two workers in protective clothing working in a commercial kitchen.

Food Safety and COVID-19

Many misconceptions have been brought up during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. These concerns have included questions ranging about symptoms, preventive measures, treatment, mortality rate, route of transmission and many more.

A glass of water being filled from a kitchen sink tap.

COVID-19 and Home Water Use

There have been questions regarding spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 through drinking water.