Throw Out Your Leftovers Day

Nan Jensen RD, LD/N Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, Pinellas County Extension


There are a number of “food, nutrition and health days, weeks and months” to celebrate throughout the year. There is a day for eating red apples, chocolates, guacamole, and cookies, a month for eating ice cream and one for bringing awareness about diabetes and heart disease. Mark November 29 on your calendar and get ready to recognize “Throw Out Your Leftovers Day”. That is the day you need to throw away whatever is left over in the frig from the Thanksgiving feast. And “some” leftovers should be eaten or thrown away even earlier than that. 


Leftovers can become dangerous to eat if they are not handled and stored properly. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that more than a half million cases of foodborne illness are caused each year just from improperly handled turkey leftovers. Foodborne illness (food poisoning) can strike anyone but young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, older adults, and persons with weak immune systems are especially vilnerable. Handling leftovers safely is one way to prevent bacteria from multiplying and causing foodborne illness. 


To begin, put all leftovers away promptly. Remember the 2-Hour Rule Bacteria grow rapidly between 40 and 140 °F. Discard all perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, and casseroles, left at room temperature longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F. Cool any leftovers quickly in small shallow, airtight containers. Hot food left in larger, deeper containers can take a long time to cool. Putting leftovers in small, shallow containers allows the cold air to circulate around the containers to cool all of it more quickly. Again, the longer food remains warm, the greater the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. 


The following is a list of selected cooked leftovers and recommended refrigerator storage time. Consider freezing these foods if you want to keep them longer. 

• Gravy and meat broth- 1 to 2 days 
•  Cooked meat and meat dishes- 3 to 4 days 
•  Cooked turkey and poultry dishes- 3 to 4 days 
•  Cooked vegetables- 3 to 4 days 

Other food safety tips

• Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
• Remove turkey from the bone and store it separately from the stuffing and gravy. Sliced breast meat, legs and wings can be left whole.
• Use an appliance thermometer to ensure that your refrigerator is always 40° F or below.
• Leftovers should be reheated to an internal temperature of at least 165° F.  Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature.  Sauces, soups, and gravies should be reheated by bringing them to a boil.

Fruits and Vegetables: Handle with Care

Nan Jensen, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Pinellas County Extension

In the last couple of months, there have been 2 recalls on fruits and vegetables. The first is for cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado and most recently bags of shredded lettuce. The Food and Drug Administration informed Giant Eagle of the presence of listeria monocytogenes in a routine random sample test of Giant Eagle Farmer's Market 8-ounce package of Shredded Iceberg Lettuce, produced by River Ranch Fresh Foods LLC, of Salinas, Calif., with a use-by date of October 14, 2011.

Listeriosis, a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, is an important public health problem in the United States. It is linked primarily with meat and animal products, as well as with dairy products such as soft or surface-ripened cheeses such as brie and feta but fruits and vegetables have been implicated as well.

The disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems. However, rarely, persons without these risk factors can also be affected. The risk may be reduced by recommendations for safe food preparation, consumption, and storage.

To minimize your risk, follow these guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control when selecting and preparing fruits and vegetables.

Carefully select fresh fruits and vegetables. When shopping, look for produce that is not damaged or bruised and make sure that pre-cut produce is refrigerated or surrounded by ice.

Rinse all fruits and vegetables before eating. This recommendation also applies to produce with rinds or skins that are not eaten. Rinse produce just before preparing or eating to avoid premature spoilage.

• Clean all surfaces and utensils with soap and hot water, including cutting boards, peelers, counter tops, and knives that will touch fresh produce. Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten, under clean running water and avoid using detergents or bleach.
• Remove the outer leaves of leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage before washing.
• Produce with firm skin, such as potatoes, may require rubbing with a vegetable brush while rinsing under clean running water to remove all soil.
• Dry fruits and vegetables with a clean paper towel and prepare, cook, or eat.
• Packaged produce labeled "ready to eat," "pre-washed," or "triple washed" can be used without further washing.

Keep produce separate from raw foods like meat, poultry, and seafood, in your shopping cart, grocery bags and in your refrigerator. Throw away any produce that will not be cooked if it has touched raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs. Do not use the same cutting board without cleaning with hot water and soap before and after preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.

Refrigerate all cut, peeled, or cooked produce within 2 hours. After a certain time, harmful bacteria may grow on produce and increase the risk of foodborne illness.

Follow this general FDA advice for melon safety:

• Consumers and food preparers should wash their hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling any whole melon, such as cantaloupe, watermelon, or honeydew.
• Scrub the surface of melons, such as cantaloupes, with a clean produce brush and dry them with a clean cloth or paper towel before cutting.
• Promptly consume cut melon or refrigerate promptly. Keep your cut melon refrigerated at, or less than 40 degrees F (32-34 degrees F is best), for no more than 7 days.
• Discard cut melons left at room temperature for more than 4 hours.

Resources

Click here for more information on listeria, how to reduce your risk from listeria and food recalls.

The FDA-recall alerts can be found here.

After the Hurricane: Are We Prepared to Feed Our Family?

By Janice Wade-Miller, Education Instructor, Families & Consumers Science

With the memory of the devastation left across the Gulf Coast by the hurricanes of 2004 and Katrina in 2005 still fresh in our minds, we can only reflect and ask ourselves, "Are we prepared to feed our family?” While most people are not prepared for hurricane season, there is still time to pull together a plan and a no-cook food kit.

Aside from physical safety, safe food for our family is all-important in making the days following a hurricane as comfortable as possible for our loved ones. All of us need to prepare a no-cook food kit which should contain non-perishable food and pet food for at least 4 days. You should also be ready to be self-sufficient for at least three days and have on hand at least one gallon of water per person per day. This kit can be used if you were asked to stay in your home for sheltering without electric power.

Here is a list of foods to consider assembling when you are readying your home for the upcoming hurricane season. Remember to keep in mind that canned foods, once opened, can be heated in their can over a fire with the can serving as a cooking pot. Pick and choose the food to buy based on your family’s food preferences and needs. All items listed here will keep indefinitely without refrigeration. Some items require hot water for reconstitution.

Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Food Group
Bread
Crackers
Granola bars
Breakfast bars
Pop tarts
Pastry Cold cereals
Instant hot cereals
Ramen noodles
Canned noodle soups
Instant noodle soups

Vegetable Food Group
Vegetable soups
Tomato soups
Small cans tomato, carrot, or V-8 juice

Fruit Food Group
Small cans of fruit
Boxed fruit juices
Small cans of fruit juice

Meat, Poultry, Dry Beans and Nuts Food Group
Canned tuna, salmon, clams, shrimp, sardines, pork and beans, chili, stew, ravioli, spaghetti, meat spreads, or chicken (Pack single servings as these products require refrigeration after opening.)
Peanut butter
Shelled nuts
Jerky
Dried meat sticks (as long as they do not require refrigeration after opening)

Milk and Dairy Food Group
Powdered milk
Cocoa mix
Canned evaporated mild
Shelf-stable boxes of milk
Snack puddings
Parmesan cheese
Snack packages of cheese and crackers

Other foods (little nutritional value)
Instant coffee
Tea bags
Bouillon
Candy or Chips
Snack Jello
Sugar

Here are some general food safety tips:

When in doubt, throw it out. Don't eat food that may have been exposed to flood water.

Use bottled water if it is available. Don't drink water that may have been exposed to flood water. If you don't have bottled water, boil it for 1 minute before using, let it cool and put it into clean containers to make it safe for drinking and adding to canned foods. If you can't boil water, you can disinfect it using household bleach. Bleach will kill some, but not all, types of disease-causing organisms that may be in the water. If the water is cloudy, filter it through clean cloths or allow it to settle, and draw off the clear water for disinfection. Add 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops) of regular, unscented, liquid household bleach for each gallon of water, stir it well and let it stand for 30 minutes before you use it. Store disinfected water in clean containers with covers.

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. If the power goes out, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Your refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if it's unopened. A full freezer will keep an adequate temperature for about 48 hours if the door remains closed.

Use appliance thermometers. Thermometers should be in your refrigerator and freezer. When power is restored, check your freezer thermometer. If it reads 40°Fahrenheit, the food is safe and may be refrozen. Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out no more than 4 hours.

Keep coolers on hand. Coolers can help keep refrigerator food cold if the power will be out for more than 4 hours. Purchase or make ice cubes and store them in a clean cooler. This ice can be used for drinking. Freeze gel packs ahead of time for use in coolers. Clean and sanitize your bathtub and then fill it with clean water beforehand for use in adding to soups, hand washing and personal hygiene.

Throw out spoiled food. Discard any perishable foods—such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or leftovers—that have been above 40°Fahrenheit for 2 hours or more.

Cooking and eating habits must change to fit the situation during a power failure. You may have no stove to heat food, no refrigeration, and limited water. In addition, health risks from contaminated or spoiled foods may increase. Use these ideas to prepare hot food during a power outage.

Fireplace -- You can cook on skewers; wrap food in foil and place in the hot coals, cook on a wire grill over the flames; or you can cook over the flames in heavy cookware such as cast iron or heavy aluminum. A Dutch oven is probably the best piece of cookware, because it can be used for baking, boiling, stewing, or pan frying.

Outdoor grills -- Foods can be cooked on outdoor grills, but use the grills outside. Do not use them in closed areas, not even in a garage.

Fuel-burning camp stoves or charcoal burners -- Use these cookers outdoors only. Fumes from these can be deadly.

Candle food warmers, chafing dishes, and fondue pots -- If using candle warmers (similar to canned candles) or chafing dishes to keep food hot and protect yourself from food borne illness, be sure to use a food thermometer and check frequently to make sure the food stays at 140 °F or above and out of the “temperature danger zone.”

Wood-burning stoves -- Most wood-burning stoves have a flat metal crown which can hold a metal cooking pot. Use this to warm or cook canned food when you need it.

References:
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Web site
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

Pinellas County Extension Web site
http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/fcs/fcs_dealing_with_disasters.shtml

Hurricane Season Will Be “Well Above Average.”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080409-hurricane-forecast.html

Guidelines for Assembling No Cook Food Bags
http://www.foodsafetysite.com/consumers/resources/nocook.html

Prepare for Hurricane Season: Advice From FDA
http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/hurricane052307.html

Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/emerg.html