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Stay Food Safe While Celebrating with Family and Friends

Stay Food Safe While Celebrating with Family and FriendsStay Food Safe While Celebrating with Family and Friends

Everyone loves tasty food at a family and/or friends gathering, whether it’s in the middle of winter for Christmas or the middle of the summer for the 4th of July.  In fact, Guy Fieri (American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter) once said, “Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people get together to eat.”

But there are special considerations when it comes to those wonderful outdoor cookouts, and if you’re not careful in following the basics of food safety, the party just might be a catastrophe of food poisoning.

Cesar Chavez once said, “If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.” So to stay food safe, let’s consider the people involved.

At a friends and family gathering, there can be a lot of hands in the mix.  The more hands, the more possibility for contamination. The helping hands touching food all the way from preparation to the plate should carefully wash and sanitize to avoid the spread of bacteria that may lead to food poisoning. Arrange, wherever possible, to have running water at your outdoor meal for consistent hand washing. Where it’s not available, use hand sanitizers and paper towel generously, though they are not as thorough. It is advisable to use the sanitizer twice, once followed by dry paper towel and a second time followed by air drying.

When it comes to preparing food for the backyard gathering, extra care is required to keep things properly cooled. Just-cooked food needs to be cooled quickly enough to keep harmful bacteria from multiplying. After the cooked food has been appropriately cooled, being food safe means it should be kept in a shallow container for immediate refrigeration until it is ready to be placed out for consumption or packed for travel to its intended destination.

Fruit demands a bit of extra care as well. While removing the peels and rinds of fruit, such as tomatoes or melons, bacteria can be transported into the pulp of the fruit. Fruits and vegetables that are meant to be served in raw form should be cleaned before cutting. It should then be refrigerated in watertight containers or plastic film to chill before being placed in picnic coolers or out in the back yard.

“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” is what Albert Einstein is credited as saying.

With that in mind, it’s important to remember that once foods reach are put out for the hungry family and friends, being food safe means they shouldn’t be left out in warm temperatures too long. Even during transit (if needed), it is a good idea to put coolers in the passenger compartment of your car rather than the trunk.  Temperatures in the trunk are generally higher, and even the best ice packs can defrost quickly. Once at the picnic site, put the cooler in the shade if possible and/or use a blanket over the top. Keep the cooler closed until it’s time to eat and between your happy guests’ use when the plate’s not too full to be a hazard.  This will also help deter bugs and bees.

It may seem obvious, but cold foods should be kept chilled and hot foods should be kept heated. In other words, keep the food at the temperature you would like to eat it. This diminishes the chance of bacteria, and other pathogens, reproducing. Keep plenty of ice and frozen gel packs handy to keep those coolers and other insulated containers as close to refrigerator temperature as possible. For retaining hot foods, the USDA advises the use of heat-safe containers with boiling water. When the boiling water becomes tepid, empty it, and pour in the hot soup, chili, or stews. Keep a lid on the hot food as much as possible while working to avoid undue condensation.

To avoid cross-contamination, especially when prepping diverse types of meat, poultry or fish, keep plenty of plates on hand. No meat should be shared on the same plate before or after cooking. Throwaway plates and utensils are a good option in situations where dishes can’t be washed between prep and completion of cooking or handling. You will want to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and while regular dishes may seem clumsy at an outdoor gathering, they may also be the best option.

The USDA has three tips for cooking meat or poultry on the grill:

  • P — Place the thermometer in the center of the meat or poultry.
  • R — Read the Temperature and use the following guidelines:
    • Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Veal (steaks, roasts, chops) and Fish: 1450F (630 C) with a 3-minute rest time.
    • Ground meats: 1600F (710C)
    • Whole poultry, whole and cut pieces of poultry, and ground poultry: 1650F (740C)
  • O — Off the Grill
    • Remove the food from the grill and place it on a clean plate and let it rest as needed. Don’t put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Clean your thermometer probe with hot, soapy water or sanitizing wipes between uses.

There are “rules” for your leftovers, too.

  • Two-hour rule: All perishable foods are to be refrigerated within two hours after serving.
  • If you are outdoor temperature is 900F or higher, one hour is the recommended limit.
  • After this, perishable food enters the Danger Zone — between 400F to 1400F — where bacteria can multiply quickly and cause the food to become unsafe.
  • If food has been left out for more than two hours, discard it to prevent foodborne illness.
  • Use small, shallow containers placed in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. This helps cool leftovers more quickly than larger containers.
  • Freeze or consume within four days. When you know you won’t be eating those leftovers in that period, freeze them. Keep in mind that foods in the freezer for months may be dry, or not taste as good. Two to six months is a fairly good window for reheating those leftovers.

Finally, stay food safe, and with all these safety notes in mind, don’t forget to enjoy the time with friends and family.  As Ina Garten put it, “Instead of going out to dinner, buy good food. Cooking at home shows such affection. (Even) In a bad economy, it’s more important to make yourself feel good.”

And remember that Regal Packaging Services is here to help keep the food you purchase in the marketplace safe to eat.  Visit Testrods.com for more information about metal detection and x-ray inspection verification test pieces.

 

 

Some content taken from: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/09/labor-day-food-safety-tips-to-avoid-food-poisoning-this-holiday/

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Floatable Thermoform Test Cards

Some applications involve large tubs, vats, or some other type of product travel where it would be nice to have a test piece that floats. Once again, our thermoform cards provide the simplest solution. We simply insert some type of structure that forces the thermoform card to retain air, which, of course, is what makes it float. We have also manufactured floating rods, which are more difficult because there is less space to close in enough air to make the rod float but is doable.

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We took an ordinary plastic “chip clip” as defined by the customer and embedded the contaminant into the clip. The clip can be attached to the product on the line without damaging or opening the product for testing purposes.

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Bone is a difficult contaminant to find because it can vary widely based on the size, age, and calcium content (as well as feed used) of the animal. After working with several customers, Regal Packaging Services offers Pork, Beef and Chicken Bone Simulate. We have a small range of sizes at a variety of depths to simulate whatever you might expect to find in the product. Our recommendation (assuming your x-ray has visual display) is always to start with a multi-card. Using a multi-card gives you an easy way to test several sizes and depths to determine what matches the bone you’re using. Once you’ve made a comparison, testing the card against the bone you’re looking for, you can purchase a card with a single contaminant for regular testing.

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This small pill shaped test piece is used in a system with a vacuum tube that shoots the test piece through the aperture and returns it to the “home” base. Your system may never be like it, but the point is that we can make a customized solution no matter how unusual or impossible it might seem.

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As you may have seen in some of the other thermoform card descriptions, we can put nearly as many seeds as you can imagine on a single card. Pictured here you will find a wide variety of configurations and contaminants. Just let us know your specs: size of the card (up to 8” x 8”) along with size and type contaminant(s) and we’ll get you a quote as quickly as possible. Working with a multi-card is especially helpful when you are looking for multiple types of contaminants or when you want to determine what size of the same contaminant you are able to detect. In that event, once the size is chosen, you can order individual card(s) for regular, standard inspection and detection.

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There are a wide range of applications that require a test piece much longer than our standard 5” or 6” Testrods. We can make up to 3/8” x 34” or 1/2” x 34” rigid test pieces which can then be extended well beyond that length with a “handle” made of acetal cylinder larger than the 3/8” or 1/2” extension. In the photos, we used a 1” x 24” cylinder handle with a 3/8” x 24” inch extension.

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Test pieces can be made in a variety of sizes and given a pointed end in applications that require the contaminant (metal) to be inserted into a food package such as sugar or some other soft packaged food product. This allows the metal to reach the center of the aperture.

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Double-End Test Whips are also available, with metal in both ends. One consideration is to make certain that the whip is long enough to keep the metal on the non-testing side of the whip outside the metal free zone of your detector. If you insert, for instance one end of a whip with 2.0mm and 3.0mm Ferrous, you need to make certain that the 2.0mm metal doesn’t affect the detection of the 3.0mm metal (and vice versa). If the 3.0mm metal is inside the metal free zone, then the detector will be reacting to the 2.0 as well as the 3.0 as if they were combined.

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Multi-seed laminate test cards are designed for seeds 4.0mm or less. Multi-cards are useful in x-ray inspection to determine what sizes and types of contaminants your system can achieve. They can be especially useful in temperate environments and applications. If your application is rugged or wet, or your standards are larger, we recommend our thermoform multi-cards.

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We can simulate a variety of packaging in an application where you need the test piece to mimic what is traveling down the production line. In this case, we manufactured a clear “package” with the seed inside. With this method, the customer is able to reject the container appropriately, and, in the event the package is not rejected, it is easily seen by the line worker for manual removal.

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There are two types of “candy bars” pictured here – one similar to a flat candy bar and the other in a custom, near perfect copy of a candy bar. Since we’re now able to produce many variations using colored material, the copy was made in red (Fe), green (NFe) and blue (SS 316). We have the equipment to accomplish nearly anything you can imagine, and these kinds of designs are proof positive.

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Need a test piece that looks and handles like chicken nugget? We can do it. Interestingly enough, in this situation, our first version for the customer left too much “void” in the hole where the metal was placed. Given the sensitivity the customer system was using, the void had the effect of causing false positives. We were able to minimize that hole and supply the test piece with almost no void. It’s an example of how we can work with you before, during and after manufacturing to ensure all the specifications were met.

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Our standard acetal card is 2 1/4"x3 3/8,” but if needed, we can cut that size down to as small as 1 1/4” x 1 1/4” (with limited engraving). If a larger card or a card with multiple seeds is needed, see our Custom Shape-Size Blocks and Tablets.

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This distinctive test piece was created to mimic an actual hamburger patty. The customer supplied photos of the raw product, which we were able to reproduce and then we placed blue glove contaminant. Using this configuration, the customer was able to determine what size piece the vision scanning system could detect with the raw burger as the background. Had they simply used a blank card with the glove, the system could easily have achieved contaminant rejection, but they needed to be sure the system could “see” the blue against the product itself.

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A card with 100 seeds in a 10x10 configuration is used to place beneath whole chickens on a production line. This gives the x-ray system operator the ability not just to see IF the equipment can detect the metal in the card, but also WHERE the equipment can detect it. If there is a problem, the operator (or company) can make any changes necessary to achieve the end goal – safe chicken in this case. This card really highlights another valuable facet of our thermoform cards.

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In this scenario, a company processing sugar needed to have a “bag” simulated with the same weight in order to accurately fall through the reject mechanism. A lighter test piece had the risk of passing over the reject mechanism.

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Our standard cubes are 1” and 1.5,” but we can also manufacture other sizes if needed. The cubes shown here are 1/2" in dimensions. Cubes can be helpful in applications where a ball or cylinder may bounce or roll away during testing, making their retrieval difficult, or, in some cases, present a hazard to the product or production equipment.

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This is a test piece that is dropped into a bottle. It’s designed so that the metal appears in the center of the aperture when testing the metal detector. In addition, the round stop makes the test piece easily removable after testing.

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Hexagonal Shaped test pieces can be very useful in places where a cylinder or ball might roll or bounce around a production floor whether dropped by a line worker or ejection from a reject mechanism. Hexagons are similar in weight to the 1inch cylinders without having the smooth, rounded cylinder edge.

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Our customer in this plant needed a test piece with a thickness less than 5.0mm. Because we have the capacity to customize sizes and shapes, we were able to mill down a product that met their specifications. That’s always our goal, meeting the specs you need for your product, testing environment and contaminants.