Escherichia coli is a common bacterium found in the human intestinal tract and vital to the proper functioning of our digestive system. While most strains of E. coli are beneficial to humans, a few are pathogenic. The most infamous example is E. coli O157:H7.

Escherichia coli is a common bacterium found in the human intestinal tract and vital to the proper functioning of our digestive system. While most strains of E. coli are beneficial to humans, a few are pathogenic. The most infamous example is E. coli O157:H7.

Keep your brown bag lunch safe by using this information to see which foods in your lunch should be kept cold.

Keep your brown bag lunch safe by using this information to see which foods in your lunch should be kept cold.

Salmonella species are common, naturally occurring bacteria found in the intestinal tracts of many animals and birds. When certain species of Salmonella are transferred from animals to humans – often through food contaminated with animal feces – humans experience symptoms of Salmonella poisoning.

Salmonella species are common, naturally occurring bacteria found in the intestinal tracts of many animals and birds. When certain species of Salmonella are transferred from animals to humans – often through food contaminated with animal feces – humans experience symptoms of Salmonella poisoning.

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium found on the skin and in the nasal passages of up to 25% of healthy people and animals. S. aureus causes foodborne illness by growing in temperature abused food and producing a heat stable toxin. Consumption of this toxin (not the bacteria) can make you very sick, this is why foodborne illness caused by S. aureus is called a food intoxication.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium commonly found in soil, water, sewage, and decaying plant material. L. monocytogenes is a particularly hardy pathogen, capable of surviving in damp areas, and on stainless steel and glass within the food processing environment. Once established, it is difficult to eliminate and may often be the cause of post-process food contamination.

Clostridium botulinum is a spore forming bacterium. A spore is a phase that some cells enter when conditions become unfavorable. Spores are resistant to extreme temperatures, drying, and UV light and can be found in soil and water. Spore are found everywhere in the environment.

Consumers get food in many ways. They can purchase their food from a convenience store, grocery store, or supermarket, grow or raise their own food, or receive food through a food pantry or other hunger relief program when needed. Often, an individual consumer will have access to more food than they can eat in a day and so it will need to be stored until it is used. This publication will address how you can safely store your food for optimal quality until you are ready to use and consume it.

Failure to adequately wash hands is a major cause of infectious diseases. Individuals who practice poor personal hygiene while preparing food may spread diseases such as hepatitis A, salmonellosis, and shigellosis. Studies indicate that one-third (33%) of people do not wash their hands after using the restroom. This publication addresses the proper way to wash your hands.

El proceso para envasar alimentos en casa o conservas caseras, depende de la acidez del alimento, lo cual se determina por su pH. Los alimentos de baja acidez tienen un pH más grande que 4.6, y los alimentos de alta acidez tienen un pH menos que 4.6. En general, los vegetales (verduras o hortalizas) y carnes son alimentos de baja acidez, y las frutas son alimentos alta acidez. Los alimentos de alta acidez pueden procesarse de manera segura por agua hirviendo, pero los alimentos de baja acidez se deben procesar en una olla a presión para conservas.

La falta adecuada de lavar las manos es una causa importante de las enfermedades infecciosas.

This publication is a guide to selling raw, processed, and prepared food products from your home, at farmers’ markets, stores, and roadside stands. This guide will detail the answers to those questions, which vary depending on the type of food product and preparation process used. All food producers should follow the relevant good manufacturing practices (for example, those outlined in 21 CFR 114 and/or 21 CFR 117). This guide includes information related to meat, poultry, dairy, seafood, crustacean, shellfish, produce, maple syrup, honey, eggs, baked goods, jams, preserves, jellies, fruit butters, acidified canned foods, dehydrated foods, packaged refrigerated or frozen foods, kombucha, juice, pet treats, samples, time and temperature controlled for safety foods, and food service vendors.

When you are volunteering as a Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Food Volunteer or as a volunteer for other Family and Consumer Sciences programs, you may have the opportunity to share what you learn with others by giving a foods demonstration. Talking in front of a group of friends and other volunteers can be a little scary at first, but with planning and practice, you will be able to give a foods demonstration with ease.

A good demonstration can motivate others to try new fruits and vegetables, eat more servings of them, and prepare them more nutritionally. Before you present a farmers market demonstration, check with the local market manager and/or health department for current regulations. Next, pull out the old razzle-dazzle and leave your audience so star struck, they will come back to the farmers market for more! This demonstration activity can be used by adults and older youth.

The majority of the milk and dairy products sold in the United States are pasteurized, which means they go through a heat process that kills harmful bacteria (e.g., Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, etc.) that can be found in unpasteurized (raw) milk. Pasteurization not only improves the safety of the milk but also lengthens its shelf life.

Cold plasma is a new food processing technology that can effectively reduce pathogens on a variety of food products. After conducting a nationwide survey with consumers, it was found that the term 'Cold Plasma' was perceived negatively by the consumer.

Often understanding the steps needed to prepare foods for sale in the direct market such as Farmers Markets can be complex. Regulations and steps for producing foods safely can vary greatly depending on the food produced. This fact sheet provides key details on how to safely prepare and sell dehydrated food products in the local market. Additionally, the publication includes the steps a food producer needs to take for approval through the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to sell these products.

High pressure processing (HPP) is a technology in which foods are exposed to high pressure inside a chamber. The high pressure kills microorganisms and breaks down enzymes (molecules that speed up the rate of chemical reactions in food, like browning) without the use of extreme temperatures (Fellows 2009).

Microwaves are one of the most common food processing technologies used. Most consumers are familiar with using a microwave in their home kitchen, however, do not realized that some of the food that they purchase has been processed using microwave technology. This publication was created to provide simple, easy to understand science based information on what this technology is and how it can make foods safer. The goal is for the public to be more aware and accepting of various technologies that are used to make our food supply safe.

Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR), agricultural water is defined as “water used in covered activities on covered produce where water is intended to, or is likely to, contact the harvestable portion of the crop”. Production water is agricultural water used during produce growing activities prior to harvesting. Examples of production water include irrigation, fertigation, spray applications, dust abatement, frost protection, among others. Remember production water has to meet the definition of agricultural water to be regulated under the FSMA PSR. This document will cover why to test your production water, what to test your production water for, how to sample your production water, and most importantly how to interpret your production water test results.

Creating and maintaining community and school gardens has been identified as an effective strategy to increase healthy food awareness and consumption. Unfortunately, fresh fruits and vegetables have been linked to hundreds of outbreaks of foodborne illness in the U.S. since 1990. This document outlines the recommended agricultural practices for food safety in gardens.

Food allergies affect approximately 11 percent of adults and approximately 8 percent of children in the United States. Over the last decade, the number of young people with food allergies has increased. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an increase in food allergies in children of 50% from 1997 to 2011. Food allergies can be serious and life-threatening; severe reactions kill 100 to 200 Americans per year (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023). The risk of accidental exposure to foods can be reduced if physicians, parents, child care providers, and teachers work to minimize risks and provide a safe environment for children with food allergies. This publication provides general information and guidelines to manage food allergies at home, schools, day care centers, and camps.

Limited educational food safety publications are available for small vegetable farmers and extension personnel seeking information on the exemptions from FSMA regulations and the Produce Safety Rule, along with voluntary practices and food safety practices. Research was conducted to construct three educational publications focused on the Best Management Practices and Good Agricultural Practices, vegetable washing stations, handwashing stations, and sanitizing practices. These educational publications are for distribution within the Virginia Cooperative Extension System and for use by Cooperative Extension Agents, Specialists, and growers who need to educate themselves or others on the basics of on-farm food safety needs and practices. This report serves (1) small and beginning vegetable farmers in the realm of food safety, (2) provide Virginia ANR Extension agents with publications to help them explain the intricacies of vegetable food safety on the farm, and (3) help with educating Virginia stakeholders to the intricacies of on-farm vegetable food safety practices.

Limited educational food safety publications are available for small vegetable farmers and extension personnel seeking information on the exemptions from FSMA regulations and the Produce Safety Rule, along with voluntary practices and food safety practices. Research was conducted to construct three educational publications focused on the Best Management Practices and Good Agricultural Practices, vegetable washing stations, handwashing stations, and sanitizing practices. These educational publications are for distribution within the Virginia Cooperative Extension System and for use by Cooperative Extension Agents, Specialists, and growers who need to educate themselves or others on the basics of on-farm food safety needs and practices. This report serves (1) small and beginning vegetable farmers in the realm of food safety, (2) provide Virginia ANR Extension agents with publications to help them explain the intricacies of vegetable food safety on the farm, and (3) help with educating Virginia stakeholders to the intricacies of on-farm vegetable food safety practices.

Aquaculture continues to be the fastest growing sector of food production world-wide. The Virginia aquaculture industry produces a variety of different foodfish, baitfish, shellfish, and ornamental species. Likewise, a variety of different production methods are implemented across the state, including pond production and indoor, intensive recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Continued expansion of aquaculture in the state, as well as across the region and country, demands attention to both environmental and economic sustainability.