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You've heard of the well-publicized recall… https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-11-18/index.html This is currently limited to romaine lettuce and should not detract from the important health benefits of eating a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables… *****************************************************************
Additionally…It is my opinion that we -who are engaged in producing, selling or educating about locally grown fresh produce- there may be a temptation to see this recall as an opportunity to advocate for the healthful qualities of locally sourced produce over those sourced elsewhere. Despite posts conveying this message that I see floating around social media, I think this logic while tempting is fatally flawed, in poor taste and very risky.
First and foremost I think it is never in good form to enhance your market position based on the misfortune of others. I can appreciate that it is a very competitive marketplace but as producers and marketers…large or small… local or distant we need to be working to satisfy the needs of our consumer in providing a safe, nutritious and delicious food source and to be always building their confidence in the quality and safety of their food supply not casting additional doubt upon it. To wish ill of competitors based upon the health of our consumer despite philosophical and production differences seems wrong. I think we also have to imagine a worst case scenario when one day we see human health concerns linked to one or more small local growers…are we ready for that? What type of marketing will it take to regain the trust of your consumer should this ever happen? It CAN happen…These microorganisms do not choose who to impact based on the scale or style of production… they are always looking for an opportunity to breach even our best food safety practices.
On the other hand…as a grower… if you are implementing good agricultural practices (GAPS)…I see no reason why it would be in poor form to share the steps you are taking to maintain good sanitation practices on your farm. Share with your consumers that being trained in GAPS means more to you than a certificate to hang on the wall and invite them on the farm to see how and where you grow the food they share with their families and how important they are to you and your family…none of this diminishes the efforts of larger more distant growers or diminishes the pain and suffering that those who have encountered foodborne illness are dealing with…If you have ever experienced foodborne illness I think you can relate.
Now is the time to learn as much as you can about this recall and keep up to date as it evolves, review your farm food safety plan, display your GAPS certificate with pride and if you are not GAPs certified to sign up soon for one of the remaining opportunities in the coming months… The upcoming Indiana Horticulture Congress (February 12-14 https://www.inhortcongress.org/) will include in-depth discussions about food safety. This is one of several good opportunities to learn additional ways to protect those consumers who depend upon you and your farm to feed their families. For additional resources and learning opportunities consider checking at these links:
https://www.purdue.edu/dffs/localfood/food-production/safety/ https://ag.purdue.edu/extension/safeproduce/Pages/Registration.aspx
Please reach out to your local Purdue extension office https://extension.purdue.edu/about#counties for additional details or send us an e-mail foodlink@purdue.edu with questions or concerns.
-Roy Ballard Purdue Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hancock County |
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Four Seasons of Healthy Eating The booklet features our twelve favorite recipes from winter, spring, summer, and fall. Helping you use and shop for "in season" produce! As always with FoodLink, the recipes are expertly reviewed. Included on each page are nutrition information and a QR code that when "read" with a QR reader takes you to an online video demonstrating the recipe. Find the link for the order form here. |  |
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When I was attending the MyPlate meeting this past week one of the staff members from the USDA FNS (Food and Nutrition Service) https://www.fns.usda.gov/ mentioned that 25% of all groceries bought in the store are wasted. She said imagine if you were going home from the store and dropped 25% of your items on the ground and left them there. It would feel like a big waste. And while none of us intends to discard 25% of our grocery bags, the statistics for food waste show that we do! So I thought about what to do with my pumpkin! https://foodandhealth.com/pumpkin-halloween-and-beyond/… And I came up with some great ideas to share. You can share them with your clients, employees, students, and patients. Pumpkin is so delicious and it is plentiful in the store.
Many of my ideas can be used for winter squash, too!
Judy Doherty, BS, PCII
https://foodandhealth.com
https://nutritioneducationstore.com
Food and Health Communications, Inc
3739 Balboa Street Unit #5015
San Francisco, CA 94121
800-462-2352| https://foodandhealth.com
https://api.ag.purdue.edu/api/DepotWS/File.ashx?t=f&i=75734
printable winter squash recipe cards (4 per page) can be found here.
The above QR code was found here, so producers can make their own signs or other materials.
Draft of first page Winter Squash recipe card print out with 4 per page (there is a second side) Please let us know what you think or if you have any suggestions.
We know that not everyone uses a smartphone and you don’t always have web access…so… we are developing a set of 65 crop/recipe cards that you will be able to download and print as needed for each crop you have available at any time…we have a draft of four ready now (you can print 2 or 4 per page)
and much more available soon! Please give us feedback and suggestions on what you think about the recipe cards. Thanks to the team and especially Amanda Gray, our NEP assistant for all the hard work on these recipe cards. Look forward to more rolling out soon.
- Roy Ballard Purdue Extension Hancock County
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| Roy Ballard
rballard@purdue.edu
Purdue Extension
802 Apple St
Greenfield, IN 46140 |  |
© 2018 Purdue University, An equal access/equal opportunity university |
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