EFSA: Home kitchen hygiene crucial to fight foodborne illness

By News Desk | February 13, 2018

Relatively minor gastrointestinal illnesses can be serious, even fatal, for people from risk groups including small children, pregnant women, very old people or people with weakened immune systems, prompting a reminder that kitchen hygiene is of vital importance.

In an effort to reduce the number of foodborne infections, the Member States of the European Union submit data on foodborne outbreaks every year to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The agency reports that food consumed in private homes was the source of 40 percent of the European outbreaks in 2016.

The recently released EFSA report on zoonoses — diseases that can be transmitted to humans from animals — and foodborne outbreaks in Europe in 2016 showed that 205 of the 521 “strong-evidence” outbreaks were caused by the consumption of food in private households. The next highest category were outbreaks caused by food in restaurants, etc., with 133 identified. Communal catering facilities, such as lunchrooms in schools, nursing homes and hospitals were found to be responsible for 87 outbreaks.

Outbreak investigations showed that the major sources of disease were meat and meat products, in particular poultry meat, which accounted for 126 outbreaks. Mixed food and buffet meals were responsible for 85 outbreaks, eggs and egg products for 72 outbreaks, fish and fisheries for 70 outbreaks, and milk and milk products for 45 outbreaks.

Although vegetables, fruits, cereals, sprouted seeds, herbs and spices and their products made a much less significant contribution to the outbreak situation in Europe with a total of 34 outbreaks, they should not be ignored, according tot the report..

Overall, Salmonella was the dominant pathogen reported by the EU Member States.

The risk of food-borne infections can be minimized through consistent compliance with the rules of good kitchen hygiene, according to the report.

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© Food Safety News

 

Your CSA Farmer says:  Do not fret!  Just read the previous Blog Entry .

I am sure most have seen that warning on the side of the triple washed salad greens which says  to not wash the greens because your kitchen sink will have even more “bugs” in it which will infect the lettuce.  Sorry, I just cannot help myself.  I WASH my greens!  Here is the hospital-grade/food-grade disinfectant which I use to keep our kitchen sink (and a whole lot more) sanitized without getting bleach spots all over my clothing and inhaling noxious fumes . . .

Vital Oxide® is a broad-spectrum, antimicrobial solution proven to perform against molds, mildews, fungi, spores, yeasts, and viruses. Use Vital Oxide in shower stalls, under sinks, on kitchen counters, in diaper pails, at schools, in daycares, on sports equipment, in basements – anywhere mold or bacteria can be found. Vital Oxide Antibacterial Spray has been independently tested under GLP (good laboratory practice) conditions and shown to kill bacteria and viruses, such as MRSA, H1N1 (Swine Flu), Norovirus, Legionella pneumophila, and E. coli.

Why Vital Oxide?

• Vital Oxide comes from the family of revolutionary products brought to you by The Ecology Works®, whose products strike at the root causes of many common allergic reactions
• Vital Oxide is a hospital-grade disinfectant that kills 99.999% of harmful microbial substances on hard surfaces and in the air
• Kills Bacteria and Virus and for use against Ebola virus
• Awarded the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Seal of Approval, Vital Oxide is also effective at sanitizing carpets and removing pet odors
• Though tough on molds, mildew, fungi, yeasts, bacteria and viruses, Vital Oxide is gentle on you
• Vital Oxide is for someone who wants an antimicrobial cleaner that’s:
  • An ecologically sound alternative to chlorine-based cleaners and disinfectants
  • Safe for you, your family, and for environment
  • So mild you can wash your hands in it
  • Note: Moms find it great to clean and sanitize toys safely and easily – especially bathtub toys!
  • Non irritating to the skin, and non corrosive to treated articles
  • Colorless, odorless, and will not harm water-safe fabrics
• Gallon size perfect for big jobs or to have extra on hand
• EPA registered

Active Ingredient:

The active ingredient in Vital Oxide is chlorine dioxide, which sounds like chlorine, but it’s not. Chlorine dioxide and chlorine are very different, react differently, and result in different by-products (see chart below). Chlorine dioxide has been used in disinfecting water supplies for decades (I did not know this!), but only now, in Vital Oxide, is there a formula that is stable enough to remain potent for home use.

Vital Oxide comes in a one-gallon (128-oz) refill size that is affordably priced, and great for big jobs. Also available in a ready-to-use 32-oz spray bottle, and a handy 3-oz travel size with pump sprayer (both sold separately).

You can find this product on National Allergy Supply web site.  I have dealt with this company for decades. They are the best! Very reputable and if you are dissatisfied with your purchase will make it right; but trust me, you will love what they offer!  Currently, they are having a 20% Off Sitewide + Free Shipping^* on Orders over $59 CODE: RELIEF20

 

We are thinking about veggies! The cold weather and snow and ice can make anyone want to ignore reality. However, we must start thinking about vegetables now so that we are ready to fill CSA boxes when May arrives. The gardens have been cleared of the 2017 Harvest Season debris which is a bigger chore than one might imagine–but it is done and the fields are ready to start all over again for the 2018 Harvest Season!

We know our CSA Members are committed to maintaining and improving their health. In the coming days, we will be asking for your commitment to our family farm for the 2018 Harvest Season. We need to gather this information now so that we know how many shares we have available to offer to new families who want to join our community of veggie lovers.

In the meantime we find the best way to enjoy “store bought veggies” is to make smoothies–all the while dreaming how much better the drinks will taste when we are able to make them with our own family farm, fresh veggies! Here’s to a Happy New Year!

Time certainly passes quickly! Our Thanksgiving cacti bloomed, our Christmas cacti bloomed, our Christmas tree went up, and then the tree came down. In between, Robert and I attended an important, family graduation in the Research Triangle area. And were pre-school Show-and-Tell for our favorite four-year old—farm photos and Local Food stickers in tow, of course! We reconnected with family and made new friends including an insightful, young lady completing a Master’s Degree on Food Insecurity.

We are fortunate to reside in Western North Carolina where local food is in abundance. Granted that food may be coming from a freezer this time of the year, but we know where and how it was grown.

The food one eats either fuels disease or fights disease. There is no middle ground. Eating a clean diet and living an active lifestyle are the most important elements to staying healthy. Science-based research is available on supporting the body systems through  nutrition, supplementation, and detoxification. Your Body is a miraculous Temple! Treat it with the love and respect it deserves and it will serve you well for many decades.

WNC is in a deep freeze at the moment.  However, despite the record breaking temps, the sun is shining brightly on our country, kitchen table encouraging us to start thinking about our spring gardens!

We are actually celebrating Thanksgiving on Friday this year. I just cannot ask my children to eat two celebratory meals in one day. The request seems inhumane. This means that today I am still in pie making mode. We got enough apples from our trees this year to make a pie. They were ugly, little apples, but tasty. When finished, this pie will go well with the pecan, pumpkin, and cherry pies!

It is not only deserts on our table. The kale seems to get better after a good frost. The garden keeps providing and we are most grateful for each and every bite. But exactly when do the “garden pests” go away?!

We are purist when it comes to our sweet potatoes–no sugar and marshmallows on top, in other words. I think we are getting enough sugar from the pies! I see I am not the only purist. A long-time CSA Member sent me this photo earlier in the week. Look at the beautiful dish she made from our (admittedly) unimpressive sweet potatoes this season!

We shall be eating Raviolis with a delicious sauce made from a base of our own roasted tomatoes mixed with grass-fed, ground beef. The beef was raised on my “fourth-generation, family farm of origin” which I visited in late October.  Also, shrimp which Robert caught on his last fishing trip at the end of this harvest season. No matter when or where you celebrate, traditional or nontraditional, I trust you have a Blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by family, friends, and great food.

 

 

We have been in Harvest Time since last May as you well know–but this colorful guy is Seasonal. In the boxes: White potatoes, sweet potatoes, red cabbage, zucchini or perhaps patty pan squash, colorful bell peppers, individual spaghetti winter squash, and perhaps eggplant or tomatoes.

I try to put similar sized potatoes and sweet potatoes in boxes in order to make for consistent preparation. If you get small ones this week, they should be larger next time.

The late sun makes any zucchini we are fortunate enough to harvest as sweet as sugar. If you have not yet made a shredded zucchini salad, now is the time to give it a try.

Just a dab of peppers?  Slice thinly and roast with a drizzle of olive oil in the oven. While waiting, make a cup of quinoa and open a can of black beans–drain and rinse. Mix the roasted peppers, quinoa, and beans together with a some finely diced onion, a couple of TBSP of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. This dish has plenty of protein and fiber, but is short on calories and fat!

Tomatoes can always be tossed into a salad. If you would rather make a side dish, open a can of chickpeas and drain. Dice the tomato to your desired size.  Heat finely diced garlic cloves in 2 TBSP of olive oil until the garlic starts to get color, then add the tomatoes and chickpeas and heat through!

With a couple of exceptions, the veggie boxes will end on October 31–BOO!! Trust this does not SCARE you!

The seasons are changing once again which means the flowers in my yard are changing! Look at my brilliant Sedum Autumn Joy. A gift from a dear friend many years ago.

Vegetables come in all shapes and sizes–especially this time of the year. If your box has zucchini or patty pans larger than you are accustomed to seeing, you have two choices: stuff them or get out the grill and put some char marks on them. Either way they will be sweet–really! The Autumn sun makes the late summer squash and zucchini much sweeter in taste. At least that is what my taste buds tell me. Then again, I try to not eat sugar, so my idea of sweet may be a bit skewed.

Boxes this week have been similar to the past ones. Some will find the first sample sweet potatoes in the mix. If you happen to get small or skinny sweet potatoes, we recommend you skin them and roast them in the oven. Butter if you want, or put nothing at all on them! You will discover the roasting brings out a special sweetness in this veggie, too.

We are about to get through the tomatoes. I have tried to give everyone some green ones for those people who like “fried green tomatoes” once a year! And don’t forget the simplest meals can sometimes be the best. Like this fried egg with sides of roasted peppers and diced tomatoes. Yum!

We are confident we will continue the CSA through the entire month of October–just in case anyone is wondering. However, November may be a selective situation this season. More later on this.

We keep checking the sweet potatoes. They are still growing and the garden is still quite muddy from the recent rains. You may find a few in your box later this week. If so, they will be small so you may choose to roast them. In the meantime, here is a great event and web connection you might want to preview in order to whet your appetite.

http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/hispanic-dishes-english-version/

In the boxes: Kennebec potatoes and red potatoes, cabbage, patty pan squash and perhaps zucchini and eggplant, sweet, colorful bell peppers and tomatoes. The tomatoes may be green. Fried Green Tomatoes?!

 

Irma brought us four inches of rain in the past few days. The creek is high and the puddles are deep! Don’t worry about the gardens. We have a tall berm between the creek and the fields! It would be nice if we could have several days of sunshine now. I realize the power is still off for many (us, too) and trees across the roads have made travel difficult. We appreciate the effort being made to get to the pickup sites to retrieve  your CSA Veggies boxes! We will work with you–our CSA Members.

We see a beautiful crop of sweet potatoes in the field. The above ground plants are filled with bumble bees and the roots beneath are still growing! It would have been lovely to have them harvested before Irma blew in but that was not destined to be. The only winter squash which we think we will have this year are the spaghetti squash. The fruits are rather small compared to a typical year and they are still growing. We will sample to see when they are mature enough to harvest, but again, several days of sunshine would be a blessing as the ditches run water out of the gardens.

If you have eggplant and no electricity, here is a recipe for Zaalouk which requires only a grill!  http://wlos.com/community/carolina-kitchen/carolina-kitchen-zaalouk

In the boxes this week:  Kennebec potatoes and red potatoes, cabbage, a couple of cukes, patty pan squash and perhaps zucchini and eggplant. (Eggplant is a tropical plant, you must realize. They do not like the cool temperatures! But on last inspection, the plants looked good.) Also, sweet, colorful bell peppers and tomatoes. Fajita time?! The oblong, heirlooms are ready when they are orange. Inside they will be red, however, they are not a juicy tomato–they are “meaty.” And they may look a bit wrinkly with time as they are used for drying!

This is not a feel good story, nonetheless, it is a story which needs to be told.

Officials inspect only about 1 percent of imported food, which could be tainted with biological or chemical agents before entering the United States. And, food manufacturers, packers or distributors, are more likely to be hit by lightning than be inspected by the FDA.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2017/09/publishers-platform-she-said-he-said-weve-been-warned/#.WblWldFryUk

And now a pretty picture to help you feel better! My son took this in the front yard.

 

Our hearts go out to the people of Texas and Louisiana who have been thrown into such chaos and devastation. Fortunately, the worst of Mother Nature often brings out the best of Human Nature. If there is one thing we learn from natural disasters like this, it is how little control we have.

Being farmers we are well aware of how much we are at the mercy of the weather. Tropical storm remnants which make their way to WNC have ended more than one harvest season. If you drive down Cane Creek Road this week, you will see the tomato farmers hard at work getting their crops out of the fields before the rains which are predicted for this Thursday night thru Saturday morning. They get their annual income all in one to two weeks–Harvest Time.

For now our multi-crop vegetable gardens are still going. We have had a few nice days, but more rain will be hard on them. I don’t usually peel all of the skin off of my cucumbers, but rain will cause them to look ugly and this will be necessary. I understand local cukes are becoming rare in Buncombe County. I am not sure why we are still successfully growing. Perhaps the variety we planted? It is a specialty seed. We buy it because we think the flavor is superior to all others we have tried.

You may have noticed fewer zucchini in the last week. Then this week, another group of plants started producing. Waves–we plant in waves to keep going as long as possible. All of the potatoes are out of the ground and safely under cover. Next the sweet potatoes! You will be finding them in your CSA Boxes soon–God willing.

Our sunflowers stand in the garden turning their faces to the sun and bringing in the bees and yellow finches and other birds. Their songs have a lovely melody and make a beautiful backdrop to the garden labors. Even the weeds are alive with bees and insects!

As I drive around the area, I take notice of restaurants which come and go. I am reminded of how fickle we humans are about our food choices. I am grateful for the loyalty of our CSA Members who agree to purchase our veggies for as long as we are able to supply them from our gardens. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

CSA Boxes now will have russet potatoes, cabbages–red and/or green, cucumbers, patty pan squash, green and yellow zucchini, perhaps the last of the green beans–depending on the coming rainfall, sweet bell peppers in two varieties, eggplant–-traditional and/or Japanese depending on the day’s harvest, and tomatoes.

Take care of yourselves. And take care of each other!