Workplaces can either help or hurt our efforts to eat well, be active, and improve our health. Here at the Arizona Department of Health Services, we are taking a step forward to make it easier to include healthier options and physical activity in our meetings with a new department-wide Healthy Meeting Policy and a Healthy [...]
Last month we launched new materials on our School Garden Program website. The Food Safety Plan was transformed from a pre-written template to a fillable PDF where applicants can easily input information about their garden and write their own policies and procedures. By writing their own food safety plans, garden leaders are empowered to proactively [...]
Ever wonder who inspects restaurants, swimming pools and spas, and hotels to make sure they are safe for the public? Our sanitarians and environmental health specialists and all the local county environmental health departments are the individuals that go into the field conducting these inspections. They work with members of the public, business owners, and [...]
Thanksgiving is just two days away, so whether you’ve been tasked with making an entire Thanksgiving meal or just preparing a few dishes, there are four simple steps to food safety that everyone should follow: clean, separate, cook, and chill. Clean your hands and kitchen surfaces often when preparing food. Wash your hands for 20 [...]
In observance of Food Safety Education Month, we have been covering the four keys to food safety, which are Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. This week, we will learn more about the final key: Chill. Keeping food at the right temperature prevents bacteria from rapidly multiplying in food and making us sick . Most foodborne illness-causing [...]
Studies have shown that Americans know food safety is important, but they have also shown we need to be better informed about what food safety looks like in practice. There are four keys to food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. I’ve already discussed the importance of cleaning and separating. This week, we will learn more [...]
In observance of Food Safety Education Month, we’ll be posting a blog each week this month with information about safe food handling that you can put into practice at home. If you learn something new, please share this information with your friends and family so that everyone you know is equipped with the information they [...]
Many Arizonans will mark the Memorial Day holiday by inviting friends and family to share a meal and enjoy the outdoors. One “guest” you don’t want to invite, however, is a foodborne illness. Before you warm up the grill or pack the picnic basket, keep these food safety tips in mind to ensure the food [...]
Earlier this week, Taylor Farms Pacific, Inc. recalled celery-containing products due to a possible E. coli risk. Some of these products, including celery sticks, diced celery, and pre-made salads containing celery were sold in Arizona at Costco, Safeway, Albertsons, Sam’s Club, and Walmart. At this time, no one in Arizona has gotten sick from E. [...]
There has been on average 24 multistate outbreaks reported each year since 2010, each involving two to 37 states. In Arizona, just in the last few months, we have helped investigate several notable multistate outbreaks including: Salmonella associated with cucumbers, raw ground tuna and a truffle and mushroom product. Teamwork is crucial to a rapid [...]
