Here are some ideas to stretch your food dollar by keeping your food safe:
- Food shopping starts at home. Plan ahead to serve meals which are appetizing, easily prepared, and healthy.
- Keep a pad and pencil handy for jotting down foods as they run low and encourage all family members to add to the list.
- Inventory your perishable foods before making a shopping list.
- Have a cooler in your car for keeping perishables safe on the way home.
- Plan to shop when you can take food home immediately and store it safely.
- Select perishable foods, like dairy and meat, last so they stay cold in your cart.
- Choose produce at its peak freshness.
- Check “use-by” dates to be sure you will use foods before they go bad. (Have you ever discovered a bag of lettuce you had to be thrown away?)
- Do not buy dented cans as there may be pinhole openings you can not see that allow serious microorganisms to grow. Also, do not buy jars with bulging or cracked lids.
- At home, store ripe fruit and fresh-cut produce in the refrigerator.
- Wash produce with running water just before using.
- Put newly purchased canned foods behind older ones in your cupboard. Use the older cans first and before the “use-by” date.
- Refrigerate perishable leftovers within a two-hour time frame...the sooner, the better!
- Finally, try to shop alone when possible. When family members are along, especially young children who may be hungry or tired, you tend to buy more.
Adapted from C. Baumgartner.
For more information, contact Barb Fuller, Nutrition and Health Specialist for Iowa State University Extension Service at bfuller@iastate.edu or 641-782-8426.
fuller/bmr
8/7/2009