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Impact Report
| For plan | Protect Food from Microbial Contamination through Food Safety Education (McKinley County) |
| Date | November 19, 2010, 11:04 pm |
| For Objective | Short-term Show short-term objectives |
| Impact Report | Most food-borne illness cases go unreported each year mainly, because individuals have little or no knowledge of the symptoms related to Salmonella, Escherichia coli and of the most important challenges are the new food pathogens. The individuals who are at risk from food-borne illness include pregnant women, unborn/newborn infants, toddlers and the elderly. In McKinley County the risk of food-borne illness is higher than most cities due to poverty and the lack of utilities in remote areas. For example, McKinley County has the largest number of households with no indoor running water, or electricity supplied to their homes. Many of the people haul water from water outlets throughout the county that are transported in large tanks in the back of their personal trucks and their electricity is still supplied from kerosene lamps. Zuni Food Distribution Program Preparing foods using safe and sanitary handling and proper preparation techniques is not always the first priority when cooking. Many people forget some of the most common practices: keeping hands and surfaces clean, proper cooling, and preventing cross contamination while preparing meals. In order to prevent some of the foodborne diseases, Food Safety programs have been provided for the last 2 "Kitchen Creations" schools provided in 2009-2010 through the Zuni Food Distribution Program Grant. The County Agent and CDE worked together to provide a Food Safety training for each of the 7 schools. Participants from the last two schools gained knowledge of food safety practices through various activities and presentation. They were surprised to learn how easy it is to be unsafe while preparing meals at home. They were reminded of food poisoning symptoms and given an updated handout to keep for their records. They were also given the Orange Agro Guard bags provided by NMSU/Southwest Border Food Safety & Defense Center they have several handouts and incentivives pertaining to Food Safety. A total of 43 adult attended the Food Safety Training on April 14, 2010 and June 2, 2010. Evaluation was provided by the Zuni Food Distribution Program. Results are pending. |