Page 38 - Robeson Living Winter 2020

Matters

It is always alarming whenever we learn that one of our fa- By Ashley McRae, Adult EFNEP Assistant
vorite snacks, meals, or beverages has been removed from the
shelves and placed on recall due to the possible spread of bac- Cleaning goes beyond spot mopping the kitchen floor or doing
teria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a brief wipe down of your countertops. It also includes wash-
estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a food- ing your cutting boards, dishes, and utensils with hot soapy
borne illness; this does not take into account the number of water before handling the next food items as well as sanitizing
cases that go unreported. In this new year, the Food and Drug all kitchen surfaces after cleaning. You can make sanitizer by
Administration has already listed several foods and beverages combining ¼ teaspoon unscented chlorine bleach with 2 cups
that have been recalled for various reasons. of warm water. Spray surface and let air dry to sanitize. When
focusing on cleaning, you should also consider the importance
In the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EF- of proper hand washing before, during, and after food prepara-
NEP) series, one of the many topics participants learn about is tion.
fixing it safe in the kitchen. The Fix-It Safe lesson outlines the
four concepts of cleaning, separating, cooking, and chilling. The concept of separating focuses on keeping safe boundar-

Page 38 Robeson Living ~ Winter 2020