Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
Foodborne illness affects 76,000,000 people each year. Foodborne illness kills 5000 people each year. Foodborne illness does happen in Iowa. Last year in J ohnson County health officials said “a highly contagious virus caused an outbreak that sickened more than half the students at an Iowa City elementary school. Officials said the investigation determined norovirus, what many think of as stomach flu'' caused the problem.

The virus causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping, and is most commonly spread through eating contaminated food, touching contaminated surfaces and having direct contact with infected people. Washing hands is the most effective way to control this virus.

Response:

• I gave 4 presentations as part of the food safety prerequisite training at West Liberty Foods in Mt Pleasant.
• Co-taught 2 ServSafe classes this quarter with Jan Temple.
• I tested pressure canner gauges in Linn, Jones and Clinton Counties.
• EFNEP newsletter, Neighborhood Partner Newsletter and Watts Current articles I wrote discussed various aspects of food safety.
• Presentations included information on food safety i.e. washing hands, rinsing can lids, rinsing produce, etc.

 

Impact:

• All perspective employees at West Liberty Foods, Mt. Pleasant passed the exam at the end of the prerequisite training course.
• Jan and I have a passage rate of 91% for ServSafe participants.
• 50% of the tested gauges read high or low by more than 1 pound and should be replaced.
• One group had already used the black light activity to encourage hand washing. To refine hand washing I used “Squid Soap” that teaches proper hand washing by a press pump putting an ink mark on your hand that only goes away when you have washing thoroughly. This was new to the participants and only those that were actually preparing food were asked to wash their hands but everyone in the group wanted to use the soap. Some asked where they could get some because they thought it would help their children wash their hands more thoroughly.

 

Contact:
Susan Uthoff
Linn County Extension Office
3279 7th Ave Suite 140
Marion IA 52302
319-377-9839