How should you approach #cybersecurity? “OWN IT. SECURE IT. PROTECT IT.” this October during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
It takes as few as 3 EASY steps to keep your data more secure online. Check out this video to learn more!
Author: dekiss4
After a flood
September is National Preparedness Month. It is also our annual Prepare Kansas online challenge. Prepare Kansas 2019 will provide tips on keeping food safe in emergency situations. 
Kansans and anyone interested in planning ahead for emergencies can follow the K-State Research and Extension Facebook page and this blog at any time during September, pick up handy information and interact with K-State extension specialists and agents. No registration is required. Today’s post is written by Londa Nwadike, State Extension Consumer Food Safety Specialist for Kansas and Missouri.
After a flood has devastated your home or business, there are many things to be considered, one of which is food safety. Flood water should generally be considered as contaminated, as it is difficult to determine what it has contacted on its way to your property. Water from floods can be contaminated with sewage or animal waste, as well as heavy metals or other chemical industrial contaminants, all of which can be hazardous to human health if consumed.
If you are not sure if the food was directly exposed to flood waters or not, it is safer to throw out the food: “If in doubt, throw it out”. This KSU publication contains a more complete list, but in general, if any of the following food items are exposed (or even if potentially splashed with) flood waters, they must be thrown out, even if they would be cooked before consuming, as heavy metals and chemical contaminants are not removed by cooking:
- Food items in your refrigerator and freezer
- All foods in boxes, paper, foil or cloth, including cereal, juice, and powdered milk
- Spices and seasonings
- All home canned foods, since the area under the seal of the jars cannot be properly disinfected
- Any food and drinks in containers with screw-caps, pull tops and crimped caps, including salad dressings
- Flour, grain, sugar, coffee and other staples in canisters
All undamaged commercially prepared foods in metal cans and “retort pouches” (such as shelf stable juices) can be kept, but must be thoroughly washed and disinfected. This KSU publication has detailed instructions on how to clean such cans and pouches for safety.
As with many situations, it is very important to wash your hands with clean water (not flood water) after your hands come into contact with flood water. More information on handwashing is available in this blog post.
Kitchen utensils and pans exposed to flood waters must also be evaluated for safety. All metal pans, ceramic dishes, and metal utensils (such as can openers) can be kept, but must be thoroughly washed and sanitized according to instructions available in this KSU publication. Wooden and plastic utensils, baby nipples, pacifiers and any other porous items used with food must be thrown out since any contaminants present cannot be completely cleaned off.
Disasters happen. #BeReady #PrepareNow
If a natural disaster or other emergency strikes, are you prepared? During September, K-State Research and Extension challenges you to complete the activities below and help us to #PrepareKansas. Not sure how to get started? Each week we have blog posts with hints and helpful information related to completing the tasks!
After a power outage
September is National Preparedness Month. It is also our annual Prepare Kansas online challenge. Prepare Kansas 2019 will provide tips on keeping food safe in emergency situations. Kansans and anyone interested in planning ahead for emergencies can follow the K-State Research and Extension Facebook page and this blog at any time during September, pick up handy information and interact with K-State extension specialists and agents. No registration is required. Today’s post is written by Londa Nwadike, State Extension Consumer Food Safety Specialist for Kansas and Missouri.
Once your power has returned and you have breathed a huge sigh of relief, now it is time to assess if your refrigerated and frozen foods are safe to keep or not. The first thing to remember is that you should NEVER taste food to determine if it is safe to eat as you could get sick from consuming potentially contaminated food. And even if food does taste okay, it could still make you sick. However, if you do notice that the food has an unusual color, odor, or texture, you should throw it out as it more likely contains organisms that can make you sick. Another general rule of thumb for food safety in any situation is “when in doubt, throw it out”. We do not advocate wasting food unnecessarily (see for example a KSU fact sheet on what food product dates really mean and our Food Waste website) , but the cost of throwing away questionable food is far less than the potential cost of someone getting sick or dying from eating contaminated food.
If your refrigerator has been without power for more than 4 hours, if your food has not been on ice and if your refrigerator thermometer is reading more than 40F, there are a number of foods that would not be safe to keep as microorgansims that can make you sick could have been growing to dangerous levels while the food was over 40F. A complete list is available from this USDA publication, but some of the key foods that should be thrown out of the refrigerator if the power was out for more than 4 hours include:
- meat, poultry, fish, and eggs;
- luncheon meat and hot dogs;
- casseroles, soups, and pizza;
- milk, yogurt, sour cream, and soft cheeses; and
- cooked or cut/peeled fruits and vegetables.
Also, discard any foods such as bread that may have been contaminated by juices dripping from raw meat, poultry, or fish.
A complete list of foods safe to keep is included in the previously mentioned USDA publication, but in general, foods not included in the list above would be safe.
Many of the same rules that apply to evaluating foods in your refrigerator also apply to foods in your freezer, including “When in doubt, throw it out” and never taste food to determine its safety. The following foods are safe to eat after the power returns to your freezer:
- frozen foods that have thawed, but still contain ice crystals
- foods that have remained below 40F (check your freezer thermometer). They may be safely refrozen, although their quality may suffer.
- foods that don’t actually need to be frozen for safety, such as dried fruits, hard cheeses, and nuts.
