April 2006

Swimming, one of the most popular activities in the country, is a fun, active, and healthy way to spend leisure time. Every year, millions of people visit ìrecreational waterî sites, such as swimming pools, water parks, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, or the ocean.
Over the past century, the use of modern disinfection systems in pools…

BY A STAFF REPORTER | Monday, March 27, 2006 11:3:49 IST
Do you really know whatís cooking in your kitchen?
Regular soap does not kill germs.
Common soaps only help wash the germs off your skin. Better to wash with good antibacterial soaps, which clean your hands and kill germs. Don’t be concerned if you’ve read about building up resistance or creating ‘supergerms.’ You will not be attacked by mutant bacteria. A soapy hand-wash is still always healthy. Scrub your palms, between your fingers, across the top and under your fingernails for about 10 seconds-the time it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’-then rinse and repeat for another verse.
Between 50 percent and 80 percent of all food-borne illnesses are contracted in the home.
Restaurants and supermarkets are bound to health codes by law: Food storage, food handling, utensil cleaning and cooking temperatures are all regulated. In the home, all bets are off. . There are more than 250 known food-borne diseases, including botulism, salmonella, shigella, listeria, campylobacter and hepatitis A.Continue Reading Kitchen germs

April 5, 2006
Fresh Cut: the magazine for value-added produce
Kimberly Warren
“Do I have to wash my salads?”
That’s the one question consumers ask Dole more than any other when it comes to food safety. The answer, according to www.dole.com, is no.
“Dole Salads are thoroughly washed in purified water and are sold ready-to-eat,î according to the site. ìAs a result, it is not necessary for you to wash the salad prior to eating. Nevertheless, rinsing your salad again will not damage the lettuce or vegetables in any way.”
This is just one way Dole reaches out to its consumers to share the company’s food safety practices – and works to ensure food safety from the field to the dining room table. Openness and honesty to consumers about how the company deals with food safety is one of the most important aspects of Dole’s overall quality assurance and food safety program, said Eric Schwartz, president of the fresh vegetables division of Dole. The Web site even allows people to take a virtual tour of a fresh-cut salad processing plant.Continue Reading Food safety case study: dole fresh vegetables