FoodTalk Newsletter

November, 1997

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County

Food Safety at the Office: "Bugged" by Your Coworkers?

* * * * FOODTALK WINS NATIONAL AWARD * * * *

FoodTalk was recognized with a national award from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences at the October Galaxy Summit of extension educators gathered from across North America in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Thank you, readers, for your feedback and support in helping FoodTalk achieve this national recognition!

Does the "flu bug" frequent your work place? Did you ever think it might be a food-borne illness? Often symptoms are the same: stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting. They can occur anywhere from a half hour to two or more weeks after eating a contaminated food.

Have you ever heard comments around your office such as the five that follow?

Worker No. 1:

	"Too often I've seen the catered lunch delivered around
        11 a.m. (who knows how long it sat out during the delivery
        process), served at noon,left sitting in the conference 
        room till 1:30 p.m., and then leftovers offered to staff."

Food Safety Tip

Never leave perishable food -- such as milk, cheese and other dairy products; eggs; meat; poultry and seafood -- at room temperature over two hours. Once fruits and vegetables are cut, it is safest to also limit their time at room temperature to a couple of hours.

Worker No. 2:

	"Recently I saw an episode of Seinfeld on "double-dippers."  
        They were the people who stood around the chips and would dip,
        bite, and eat. Followed by dip, bite, and eat WITH THE SAME CHIP!  
        This could have been filmed at our office!"

Food Safety Tip

The best defense may be a good offense on this one. Beat the double-dippers to the dip; put enough dip on your plate to enjoy with all your chips.

Worker No. 3:

	"We have a dishcloth in our break room that is used for 
        everything from cleaning the sink and table to washing
        coffee cups.  I've seen this same dishcloth there for the
        past two months.  It started out white —- it's now sort of
        a dingy gray.  I think it's probably putting more germs 
        on things than it's wiping off."

Food Safety Tip

Encourage the use of disposable paper towels to wipe off the sink and tables. Place your food on a napkin or paper towel rather than directly in contact with the table surface.

Either wash coffee cups in a dishwasher or wash them hot, soapy water using a freshly cleaned dishcloth, then rinse with hot water, then air-dry. Don't re-contaminate clean dishes by drying them with dirty towels -- especially towels that also are used as hand towels!

If you have little control over how cups are cleaned, bring your own cup that you can clean appropriately. Also keep on hand some special cups for when you serve coffee to your visitors.

Worker No. 4

	"I don't think we ever remove anything from the refrigerator
        at work.  One day when I couldn't find room for my lunch bag
        in it, I started pitching things.  I tossed everything that
        was past the 'use by' date on the label.  The refrigerator 
        was almost empty by the time I got done."

Food Safety Tip

Some companies have a policy of once a week tossing all foods left in the refrigerator. They may even have a sign on the refrigerator so no one is caught unaware. A food is "saved" only if there's a note on it requesting it be left until a specific date.

Worker No. 5: 

	"I'm surprised by the number of people who don't wash
        their hands after going to the restroom.  And then they 
        put their hands in the popcorn bowl in the break room."

Food Safety Tip

There's a cartoon where a person is leaving the restroom and a big sign above the door flashes a warning to everyone: "Didn't Wash Hands!" A more subtle strategy might be to place a hand-washing poster in restrooms in a prominent place! Many local health departments have posters you can use.

If you'd like to make your own poster, here's an idea adapted from a Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service Conference. Draw an outline of your hands with the 10 fingers and thumbs spread apart. Use the caption: "The 10 Most Common Causes of Food-Borne Illness. Wash Hands Often!"

Added tip: people who don't wash their hands probably won't look at a poster above the sink! Consider placing posters at eye level inside bathroom stalls and in front of urinals.

Hand-washing is considered the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Truly, your health may be in your hands!

Final Thoughts

As new strains of bacteria emerge and as we depend more on each other for keeping food safe, it's important that we all handle food safely. But until then, consider . . . snacking at the office is a frequent contributor to weight gain. Who knows? If you avoid some of the office foods you feel are handled improperly, you may have less "flu," plus lose that extra 10 pounds!

Consumer Food Safety Educational Materials

The consumer is the final link in the food safety chain of producer to processor to retailer to consumer. Safe consumer food handling is as important as safe handling by the other partners in the flow of food from "farm to table." If you'd like to offer a consumer food safety program, you might be interested in a food safety game, "Don't Get Bugged by a Foodborne Illness."

Our office developed "Don't Get Bugged" for use with adults and youth age 12 and over. While content is geared toward consumer food safety, trainers working in food service operations can modify the materials to meet their specific needs.

"Don't Get Bugged" has received a national award from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Over 1,300 educators nationwide have used "Don't Get Bugged" since it was introduced September 1996.

Each game packet contains a "quiz bowl" version to use with single players at health fairs, school fairs or clinics, PLUS a "bingo" version to use with groups in any setting. All materials may be reproduced on a standard copier for unlimited use. You are welcome to adapt materials as desired. (Cost: $13.95 + $2 for shipping and handling, TOTAL: $15.95.)

If you'd like more information, e-mail me at ahenneman1@unl.edu or visit my Web site: http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/buggame.htm

Your comments and suggestions about FoodTalk are welcome. Send to: ahenneman1@unl.edu

FoodTalk is a FREE monthly e-mail newsletter and is also archived on the Internet
(http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/archives.htm). FoodTalk provides a short "how-to" message on food, nutrition, or food safety for health professionals, educators, and consumers.
You may reproduce this newsletter - please credit as follows:
FoodTalk E-mail Newsletter, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County, http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/FoodTalk.htm
FoodTalk is written by Alice Henneman, MS, RD, LMNT, Extension Educator. Technical assistance is provided by Brenda Corder, Resource and Publications Assistant. FoodTalk is archived on the Internet by Kendra DeLand, Extension Assistant.

To receive FoodTalk by e-mail, send this request:

  • To: listserv@unl.edu"
  • Subject: (please leave blank)
  • Message: Subscribe Foodtalk
  • do not include signature when subscribing

Click below to subscribe now!
listserv@unl.edu

Back to FoodTalk Archives Page
Back to NUTRITION AND FOOD SAFETY page
Back to the "Front Door" of UNL Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension educational programs abide
with the non-discrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
and the United States Department of Agriculture