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Food safety tips for students returning to college
TEXARKANA, Ark. - Students returning to college in the fall will pack up the
essentials they need for survival - TV, laptop, MP3 player and cell phone. They
also may be taking a microwave oven, tabletop grill, mini-fridge and
toaster-oven.
Unfortunately, many students never stop to think about food safety when
cooking with these appliances, says Carla Haley, Miller County agent with the
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
"With the busy schedules most college students face, they eat whenever and
whatever is convenient. When it comes to safely preparing meals, many college
kids simply don't know what it takes to prepare food safely, and many could end
up with a food-borne illness," Haley says.
She offers several tips for parents to pass along to their college student so
they don't spend time at the health services office on campus with a food-borne
illness.
When college students have extra money, they will probably buy pizza, Haley
says.
"Unfortunately, many students leave the pizza in the box, on the counter
overnight and then want to eat it the next morning for breakfast," says Haley.
"That gives harmful bacteria the green light to grow and multiply on the pizza."
Perishable food should never be left out of the refrigerator more than two
hours, one hour in hot temperatures. This is true even if there are no meat
products on the pizza.
One favorite activity of college students is tailgating for their school
team. If the tailgating party includes hamburgers, there's only one way to
assure that the hamburger is done, regardless of color. That is to use a food
thermometer.
Don't use color as a measure of doneness, Haley says. Ground beef may turn
brown before it has reached a temperature at which bacteria are destroyed. A
hamburger cooked to 160 degrees, measured with a food thermometer throughout the
patty, is safe.
When cooking in a microwave, cover foods during cooking. Remember to stir or
rearrange food and rotate the dish. Use a food thermometer to ensure the food
reaches the appropriate internal temperature.
"As a college student, I loved to receive my ‘care packages' from home.
Today, with all the shelf stable food products it is easier to mail these
packages and include more than just cookies, crackers and candy," Haley says.
Some great choices to include in your care package might include
shelf-stable, microwavable entrees. These foods are not frozen and will stay
fresh without refrigeration for about 18 months. Canned meats and fish as well
as dried meat and poultry, such as beef and turkey jerky, are safe to mail.
Bacteria can't grow in foods preserved by removing moisture.
There are four basic principles to keep in mind when preparing foods:
- Wash hands and surfaces often, before you begin to cook or reheat
something, and after you handle any raw foods.
- Separate raw meat, poultry, and egg products from cooked foods to avoid
cross-contamination. Never place your cooked hamburgers on the same plate or
container that you carried them to the grill on.
- Use a food thermometer.
- Refrigerate everything promptly.
For more information about food safety, contact your county extension agent
or visit www.uaex.edu and select Health and Nutrition, then
Food Safety. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of
Agriculture.
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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