by Ricki McWilliams | Dec 11, 2014
Being sick during the holiday season is no fun. Did you know the flu is not the only thing that can have you feeling under the weather? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases (CDC, 2014). This holiday season, UF/IFAS Extension Agents will be available to help keep you and the ones you care about safe by reminding you of the United States Department of Agriculture ‘s four steps to safer food handling this holiday season:
- Wash your hands and your cooking surfaces before you start, when you will touch different foods, and after you finish preparing a dish.
- Separate cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods from foods that still need to be prepared.
- Always cook and reheat your foods to above 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Chill your leftovers. Don’t let your dishes sit out without refrigerating or keeping them heated. Throw out foods that have been between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 2 hours.
Have a question that is not related to food safety, like:
- How do I make a brine for my turkey?
- I ran out of eggs – is there a substitute?
- I couldn’t find any buttermilk. What do I do?
…Don’t worry – call the UF/IFAS Extension Northwest District Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) HOLIDAY FOOD HOTLINE. Northwest District FCS agents will be available 8am – 8pm CST/9 am – 9pm EST by calling 850-888-2412 (December 15 – January 1) to assist you with food preparation, food safety, or any other kitchen concerns you may have.
The best part is you can always count on UF/IFAS Extension to provide you with research-based information!
Holiday Food Hotline
850-888-2412
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). “Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States” retrieved December 11, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/
United States Department of Agriculture (2014). “Check Your Steps: Food Safe Families” retrieved December 11, 2014 from http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/featured-campaign
by Ricki McWilliams | Dec 11, 2014
Thank You for a Wonderful Year!
As we come to the end of our 100th year of serving the citizens of Florida, the University of Florida/IFAS Extension Faculty located in the 16 county offices of the Florida Panhandle thank you for making 2014 another great year!
Extension has come a long way assisting farmers and their families with relevant information since the beginning of the 20th century. Today, 100 years later, UF/IFAS Extension continues to provide science-based information to the citizens of Northwest Florida.
This year our County Extension Faculty provided valuable information and educational programs to 1000’s of individuals, families, businesses, and agricultural producers across the panhandle. As you know, our educational programming includes topics in areas such as Agriculture, Natural Resources, Horticulture, Family and Consumer Sciences, and 4-H Youth Development. UF/IFAS has a Solution for your Life!
We are excited about, and dedicated to providing our clients the most recent and science-based information on a wide range of topics such as:
- agricultural production and marketing,
- providing youth with exciting opportunities that develop life skills, teamwork, and responsibility
- food preservation, cooking
- helping individuals and families with health and wellness, parenting and manage budgets,
- consumer assistance within the home,
- wildlife and land management,
- coastal and inland fishery management,
- home gardening and commercial landscaping,
- acquiring Continuing Education Units for a variety of licenses.
Though the first 100 years of UF/IFAS Extension have been very productive we do not plan on sitting back and resting on the accomplishments of the past. We will continue to provide you and your family the best information and education available to provide “Solutions for Your Life!”
Thank you once again for participating in our Extension programs! We look forward to seeing you in 2015, and as always, if you have a question on any topic, or a suggestion to help us help you better, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can find your local County Extension office on the web at http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IFASNW.
Happy Holidays & Best Wishes for the New Year!
From,
Dr. Pete Vergot III, Professor, and Northwest District Extension Director and your County Extension Faculty and Staff of the UF/IFAS Extension Northwest District serving Panhandle Florida
