OverEagerly.com

I was just reading that in a different section. And am curious because I have worked in several kitchens in the past where all the engaged/married women wore wedding rings. And I have never heard of them being a safety risk. Even at the food handler’s safety classes that the health dept has, they don’t mention that being a risk of any kind, which they would be required to do so if it was.

The only time I have ever heard of anything related being a safety issue where food is concerned is when I worked at a summer camp one year. There was one boy who felt prejudiced because he was not allowed to wear nail polish while the girls in the kitchen were. He was told the reason he wasn’t allowed to was because it might chip off into the food, even though there would have been the same risk from the girls but none were given any warnings about it, and plastic gloves were worn at all times.
By safety issue, I meant that you could injure yourself on the job by wearing it. For example, a person using heavy machinery could get it caught and lose their finger or their entire arm. My question is what in the food industry is the equivalent of that? Since I noticed many people in another post saying that food service was equally dangerous if you wear a ring on the job, but never mentioned why.

I used to work at KFC when I was a teenager and if only I could find the handbook because I remember reading in there that we’re not supposed to wear jewelry. Of course, it’s one of those dumb rules that no one really follows. Kinda like those dumb laws that were made a long time ago. I think part of the reason why is because jewelry can spread germs and when you’re preparing food, it could be possible to spread germs from your rings to the food, but that’s a long shot. And I guess there’s also the possibility that your jewelry could accidently come off into the food but that’s a longshot too. It’s just one of those dumb rules.

And since you mention wearing gloves….I’ve noticed that in places like McDonalds and Burger King, the people aren’t wearing gloves when they’re in the kitchen putting together burgers. It really bothers me too.

J

<br>In this era of globalization, <b>fast food</b> has been the latest food habit of regular food lovers. The fast food can be prepared and serve in a short span of time. Therefore, it is widely appreciated by children and people of all age groups. </br>

<br>In India, Delhi is widely known for its crispy <b>fast food centres</b>. It is the major centre of attraction for all the fast food lovers. There are many fast food centers which are present in all corners of Delhi. They are well known for their delicious fast food preparation which are available in different flavors. Chandni Chowk is one of the well known fast food centre in old Delhi.</br>

<br>In the recent past decades, <b>fast-food restaurants</b> in Delhi have been a popular choice among many people. These restaurants serve all the popular fast food items at any point of time. They are widely appreciated for organizing official and cultural parties, events and workshops.</br>

</br>In Delhi, <b>fast-food restaurants</b> have become very creative in their pricing strategies, menu selections, locations, and marketing schemes. In response, Haldiram, Evergreen, Bikaner, McDonalds, Nirulas, Dilli Darbar, Pizza Hut, etc have become some the famous fast food restaurants in Delhi. Pizzas, Burgers, Macroni, Pastas are some the popular fast food items served in these restaurants.</br>

<br>During the festive eve, fast food centres and restaurants are the special place of attraction in Delhi. Visitors from all over the world enjoy the festive party with the fast food. Looking at the popularity and demand of fast food, <b>night clubs in Delhi</b> also serves the fast food to the late night party lovers.</br>

<br>In the present day and age, the rapid growth of the fast-food centers have been driven by the fundamental changes in the eating habits of the people of all the age groups. Delhi is also well – known for its traditional food. Hence, Delhi is considered as one of the best hub for <b>snacks, sweets</b> and fast food centers in the world.</br>

Vivek Kushwaha
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/fast-food-centre-in-delhi-721228.html

I try two feed him good food such as chicken food for the dog (puppy)lovers soul, science diet, and Eukanuba but my dog, seems to like the cheaper food better, like Great choice, puppy chaw and these foods seem to have to much bone meal. What is the best food for my dog? That may tast good for him and dosent cost to much?

Try Canidae. Its an all natural dog food with no soy, wheat, corn or fillers. That’s what Im currently feeding my puppy and she LOVES it. Its also very affordable.

The world was able to bring out the best of what it has, from the natural existence of the environment to the man’s creations. This makes the world perfect, when man is able to satisfy his needs. And one of the basic needs of man is to satisfy hunger. While eating was to satisfy hunger, the dining experience has also evolved into more luxurious means. With the inter-continental trade and exchanges, man was able to learn not only to cook his own native dishes but also that of the foreign. This paved way for a more comprehensive collection of dishes which are then known as the recipes. However, one limitation with this is that ingredients are sometimes scarce. Yet there can be a solution for this when you are dying to try out new dishes and recipes from other countries. For a moment, satisfy your cravings with food games.

Get to cook Indian food, Medhu Vadai with food games. This is a simple Indian recipe that is easy to cook and the cooking instructions are easy to follow. Let start the cooking with food games and learn how to be an instant international chef.

Prepare the ingredients needed for the Indian recipe cooking. You will need one cup of urad or the moong dal washed; one teaspoon crushed black peppercorn; one –fourth cup Asafetida; one teaspoon Cumin seeds; a handful f chopped conrieder leaves; oil for frying and salt to taste.
First thing that you have to do with food games is to take a cup of urad dal and put it into the grinder. Switch on the button. While the mixture is being grind, add asafoetida powder and a spoon of cumin seeds. Salt to taste and add the chopped coriander leaves.

Meanwhile, light the stove and when the pan has been pre-heated for a minute, add cooking oil into the pan. Place the dough into the stone slab and make a hole on the centre. Fry the dough into the oil and drain using a spoon. Do this until the whole mixture was fried.

Indian foods are one of the most exciting recipes that you can have. Indian cuisine is typically defined with spicy flavours. Mostly, however, Indian food varies from one region to another. With a variety of pulses, pickles, Rotis and vegetables, Indian foods become lip-smacking and mouth watering must-have recipes.

While you might be limited with the resources to make up the needed ingredients, you can still have all the fun in cooking with food games. Food games guide you with the cooking instructions to make sure that you are able to cook the product well. Find palatable and rich recipes with food games and be an instant chef!

Cookie Jeans
http://www.articlesbase.com/computer-games-articles/be-an-international-chef-with-food-games-719416.html

CONTENTS

RECIPES

KATE’S VEGAN PANCAKES

VEGAN MIXED BERRY MUFFINS

BORCH (SOUP)

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN

MASHED POTATOES

BAKED POTATOES

CINNAMON APPLES

LIGHTSIDE

FOOD WARNING

SALMONELLA OUTBREAK

BAR MIXES

NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

ICED TEA

HOT DRINKS FOR CHILDREN

RECIPES

KATES VEGAN PANCAKES
1 I/3 cup flour (unbleached).
3 Teaspoons.
½ teaspoon salt.
3 tablespoons sugar.
1 egg (egg replacer).
1 ¼  cup milk (Soya milk).
3 tablespoons oil.
¼ teaspoon vanilla .

VEGAN MIXED BERRY MUFFINS

Flour, white, 1.75 cup
Raw sugar, 4 tsp
Baking Powder, 2 tsp
So Good ‘Trim’ Soymilk, 1.25 cup
Egg Replacer, 1 serving
Applesauce, unsweetened, 25 grams
Strawberries, frozen, unsweetened, 0.125 cup,
Blueberries, frozen (unsweetened), 0.125 cup,
Blackberries, frozen (unsweetened), 0.125 cup,
Raspberries, 0.125 cup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-fat cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
In a smaller bowl- combine applesauce and soymilk.

Chop the frozen berries into a manageable size.  Add wet ingredients to the dry, and stir to combine, adding berries as you mix. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop into prepared muffin tin (they should be about 2/3 full), bake for 20-25 minutes (when a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out to cooling rack.
serve warm.

Number of Servings: 12

VEGETABLE SOUP Borch
2 pounds beef, with soup bone.
2 carrots.
1 medium head of cabbage.
2 average-sized onions.
6 average-sized potatoes.
2 cups canned tomatoes.
6 whole pepper kernels.
1 bay leaf.
A few sprigs of dill.
½ cup chopped beets.
Cover meat with cool water and bring to a boil.
Let simmer until almost tender.  Add water if necessary
to keep meat covered.  One hour before serving, add chopped
vegetables and seasoning.  Potatoes may be cooked separately
before serving.  When ready to serve, remove from heat and
add sour cream.

Grandma’s Oven Fried Chicken
4 ounces……………..(125 ml)……………potato chips
½ cup ………………..(125 ml)……………butter
½ teaspoon ………….(2.5 )………………garlic powder
Melt butter.  Brush chicken with butter.  Crush potato chips with
rolling pin before opening bag.  Mix garlic, salt and pepper with
potato chips.  Shake buttered chicken in potato chip mixture.  Place
on pan skin side up.  Pour rest of mixture over chicken.  Bake at 375 F,
(190 C) for about 1 hour.
YIELD: Coating for 1 fryer
TIME:   Preparation 10 minutes, cooking time approx. 1 hour.

Beef And Potato Cakes
You can use ground meat if desired.  A treat for children.
8 oz. Beef.
8 oz. Potatoes.
1 small 2-3 inch onion chopped finely.
1 egg yolk.
Dark soy sauce.
1 teaspoon salt.
Cook the potatoes and mash.  Mix in egg yolk and salt.  Chop onion finely, brown with 1 tablespoon oil, add ground meat.  Brown for 4 minutes.  Add soy sauce and mix the batch with the potatoes.  Shape into balls the size of golf balls, flatten into cakes.  Heat the cooking pan. Grease lightly with oil, use medium heat to brown the cakes, turn to brown both sides.  If you have a electric skillet set temperature at 340.  When automatic control light blinks, turn cakes over.

MASHED POTATOES
6 boiled potatoes.
2 tablespoons butter.
4 tablespoons hot milk.
½ teaspoon salt.
Mash the cooked potatoes with a potatoe-masher until soft; add the butter, salt, pepper, and milk, and beat all until light and fluffy.  Pile lightly in a hot serving-dish.

BAKED POTATOES
Select smooth, medium-sized potatoes.  Wash well with brush. Bake in a hot oven 45 minutes, or until done.  Break the skins to let the steam escape and serve at once.  If baked potatoes stand they become soggy.

Cinnamon Apples
4 tart apples, sliced.
1 cup sugar.
½ cup water.
½ pound cinnamon candy.
Pare and slice apples into eights. Combine sugar, water and candy to make syrup.  Bring to a boil and when sugar and candy are dissolved, add sliced apples.  Cook until apples are soft.  Makes 4 servings.

LIGHTSIDE
A wife was making breakfast of fried eggs for her husband, when he burst into the kitchen.  “Careful”, he said. CAREFUL! Put in some more butter. Oh WHAT ARE YOU DOING! You are cooking too may at once. TOO MANY! TURN THEM DOWN NOW! Are you CRAZY? USE THE SALT!!! THE SALT!!THE SALT NOW!!

The wife stared at him.  “What in the world is wrong with you?  You think I don’t know how to fry a couple of eggs?”

The husband calmly replied, “I wanted to show you what it feels like when I am driving”.

FOOD WARNING BACTERIA
Bacteria may be present on products when you purchase them. Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs are not sterile. Neither is fresh produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons.

Foods, including safely cooked, ready-to-eat foods, can become cross contaminated with bacteria transferred from raw products, meat juices or other contaminated products, or from food handlers with poor personal hygiene.

Botulism, a life-threatening illness caused by the bacteria Clostridium outline, were reported in the United States. Frozen, fully cooked products were suspected of causing these illnesses. The Food Safety and Inspection Service advises all consumers to handle frozen, fully-cooked products in accordance with these food safety recommendations.

Before buying frozen, fully cooked products carefully inspect the container or package. If the package is punctured, torn, partially opened, or damaged in any other way that might expose the contents to the outside environment, do NOT purchase the product.

 
Do not purchase frozen products that appear to have thawed and refrozen. Reject all swollen or gassy containers or spoiled foods.

Buy food from reputable dealers, with a known record of safe handling. Buy frozen products only if they are frozen solid and only if stored in the freezer case. Observe any use-by or sell-by dates on the package.

When you open the container, inspect the product. Do not use products that are discoloured, mouldy, or have an off odour. Do not use products that spurt liquid or foam when the container is opened. Do not taste the product to determine if it is safe.
Follow the preparation instructions on the product label.
Handling Possibly Contaminated Products Report any suspect commercial food products to your local health department.

If a suspect food is opened in your kitchen, thoroughly scrub the can opener or other utensils, containers, counters, etc., that might have contacted the food or its container. Discard any sponges or cloths used in the cleanup. Wash your hands thoroughly. Promptly launder any clothing that might have been splattered upon.

Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin. Symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. The illness can cause paralysis, respiratory failure and death. Symptoms usually occur from 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

Many frozen chicken products, such as chicken Kiev and chicken cordon bleu, may appear to be precooked, but are actually only prebreaded or prebrowned.

Use a meat thermometer and make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  . This means really cooking the chicken, in a regular oven or microwave, not merely thawing it.

Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak

Clearly, what began as an investigation of bulk peanut butter shipped to nursing homes and institutional cafeterias is now much broader.

It includes not just peanut butter, but baked goods and other products containing peanuts that are sold directly to consumers. Health officials say as many as one-third of those who got sick did not recall eating peanut butter.

“The focus is on peanut butter and a wide array of products that might have peanut butter in them,” said Dr. Robert Tauxe, director of the foodborne illness division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Federal health authorities told consumers on Saturday to avoid eating products that contain peanut butter until they can determine the scope of an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning that may have contributed to six deaths.

“We urge consumers to postpone eating any products that may contain peanut butter until additional information becomes available,” Dr. Stephen Sundlof of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety said in a teleconference with reporters.

Officials said they are focusing on peanut paste, as well as peanut butter, produced at a Blakely, Ga., facility owned by Peanut Corp. of America.  Peanut paste is significant because it can be used in dozens of products, from baked goods to cooking sauces.

Law Firm Information

Fred Pritzker is founder and president of Pritzker Law, a firm with involvement in practically every major food poisoning outbreak including the Peter Pan peanut butter Salmonella outbreak and the Taste of Chicago Salmonella outbreak in 2007, among many others. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of food poisoning. For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com/

BAR MIXES

SHANGHAI COCKTAIL

¼ juice of lemon

1-teaspoon anisette

1 ½ ounce Jamaica rum

½ teaspoon grenadine

Shake with ice cubes. Strain into cocktail glass.

MARTINI (sweet)

1-ounce gin

½ ounce Italian vermouth

1dash orange bitters

Stir with ice cubes. Strain into chilled cocktail glass

NON- ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

ICED COFFEE

There are just as many ways of making coffee, as there are different brands. Here are some general rules.

For good results measure water and coffee.

2 tablespoons coffee to each 1 cup

Make coffee just before serving

Make coffee double strength and pour the hot coffee over ice in a tall glass.  As the ice melts, it will dilute the coffee. Top the glass with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

HOT DRINKS FOR CHILDREN

½ cup cocoa

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ spoon vanilla.

Combine cocoa, sugar and salt

Add water and stir until well blended.

Cook for 5 minutes.  Cool and bottle

Makes 3 cups syrup

Add 2 tablespoons of syrup to each cup of scaled milk.

Disclaimer: The Author of this article is not responsible for accuracy or completeness nor shall he be held liable for any damage or loss arising out of or in any way related to the information or utilization of it.

You have permission to copy any of my articles providing each is complete, and Author Article Source Box is included.

Bruce Chambers
http://www.articlesbase.com/recipes-articles/grandma-hystads-recipes-drink-food-information-727103.html

Most people feel reassured by the pictures of smiling veterinarians and dog breeders paying tribute to the commercial pet food they feed their dog. Or perhaps, you’ve been convinced by your own vet that the food they sell is sure to be nutritionally balanced.

For your dog’s sake, be a bit suspicious. Don’t be convinced by anyone (including me) that what they are trying to sell you is necessarily in your dog’s best interest.

Instead, it may be in their own best interest if they gain a sale from convincing you.

If you’re having a problem getting your head around the idea of raw dog food, then I suggest it’s your problem, not your dog’s.

Dogs evolved on a diet of raw food over millennia. Humans have only recently taken an interest in making dog food.

Do you really imagine, for one moment, that humans have been able to change the domestic dog’s digestive and immune system in fifty odd years?

You may well say that humans have had an impact on the way dogs look, with all the different breeds. Yes, that’s true. But have you also noticed that pedigree dogs are also the most unhealthy? What I call a Heinz 57 dog, is normally much healthier.

So in breeding a selective type of dog, humans have gone against nature, by isolating one or more traits, until the breed becomes what the breeder wants.

And so it is with food. Humans tinker about with food, under the guise of ‘science’. I call it junk science, because there’s nothing scientific about commercial dog food. The word ‘science’ has come to be revered by the majority. Just as the word ‘natural’ is currently enjoying popularity.

So a clever commercial dog food manufacturer will incorporate the word ‘science’ and/or ‘natural’ in the advertising, to lure you in.

That doesn’t mean there’s anything of quality within the packet or can. It could be anything. You have no way of knowing how the food was prepared or what is in each pack.

Raw dog food, on the other hand, contains all the nutrients essential to a healthy dog.

I appreciate that it may take you time to get your head around the idea, because you’ve probably been brought up on the idea that commercial pet food is the healthiest way to go.

If that was true, how cum that dogs health invariably improves when a switch from commercial to raw dog food is made? The only way you’re really going to find out for sure is to try it out yourself.

You may be worried about parasites and bacteria in raw dog food.

Neither of these are an issue for dogs, whose digestive system is very robust, with powerful digestive juices. Dogs aren’t carnivores, they’re omnivores, which means they can eat anything (as long as it’s raw), including vegetation and rotting carcasses.

In fact, you will notice that when you feed a raw dog food, fleas and worms decrease and almost disappear.

Dogs have problems with unnatural foods – those that are cooked, those that contain preservatives. Neither of these are natural. Cooking destroys many vitamins and denatures other nutrients.

I can genuinely assure you, that your dogs health will improve considerably when you start feeding a raw dog food. There may be a ‘de-toxing’ period initially, but this is normal, natural and only takes a short time to go through.

Why not try it for a month and see for yourself? What have you got to lose?

Madeleine Innocent
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/raw-dog-food-how-can-you-be-sure-its-healthy-727561.html

We have been feeding our new cat canned food because that is what the shelter said she preffered. However, we just got back from the vet and learned she has gingivitis. I have also heard that most canned food is essentially the same thing as giving your pets junk food or candy. What’s the answer?

Actually feeding both is best. The vet I worked at fed a little canned food and free fed dry through out the day…. Canned food is not like candy. It is high in meat content and is good for them, but they need the dry to clean their teeth. Hope that helps!

Reading Pet Food Labels
or
What to run away from at the pet store

With all the pet food recalls and more and more ingredients coming out of China that are contaminated, we need to learn to read the ingredients on our pet foods just like we read the labels on our own food.

You should read the label every time you purchase pet food.  Manufacturers will change ingredients on a whim if they can make the product cheaper and reap a bigger profit.  Very few companies are as concerned about the health of your dog as much as they are about their bottom line.

Pet food is not highly regulated.  Dead, diseased, dying and drugged animals are allowed in pet food.  Many pet food ingredients are leftovers from meat processing for the human food supply and consist of ingredients not fit for human consumption.  Here’s what you should be looking for on each label.

Look for the Ingredient Statement on the label.  Read the first five ingredients as these first five ingredients make up 90% or more of the total quantity of what’s in the dog food.

1. Does the food contain a quality protein?  Look for an identifiable animal source such as chicken meal or beef meal.  This is a concentrated protein source wherein the water has been removed from the meat.  “Chicken meal” is better to find on the label than simply “chicken” as the latter can contain a large quantity of water.  It may be the first ingredient on the list, but doesn’t necessarily make up the larger portion of the food due to the water content.  Wheat gluten or corn gluten are protein sources, but they are not meat.  Dogs and cats must have meat to live a healthy life.  If your dog were on the loose in the wild, would you find him eating an ear of corn?  

2. Look at the packaging.  Does it contain a picture of a healthy dog or cat and then say things like “natural” or “wholesome grains” or “vegetables?”  The term natural is meaningless as it is not regulated.  There can be some natural ingredients in the food, but there can also be chemical preservatives that can cause cancer such as BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquine.  There are some pet treats on the market that are labeled natural, but contain propylene glycol, a form of antifreeze!

3. Wholesome grains are not whole grains.  The term wholesome grains can simply mean the addition of wheat gluten which was the source of the largest pet food recall in history.  Whole grains are excellent sources of protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, and other essential minerals.  They also provide carbohydrates that a dog (not a cat) needs to provide energy.  Look for ingredients like ground brown rice or oats in a dog food.   Soy, corn, corn gluten, wheat, wheat gluten and rice gluten are cheap sources of protein.  These grains are also prone to molds which can be toxic.

4. Look for the term “by products.”  If it says by products, don’t buy the products!   These are inferior protein sources and can be difficult for your dog to digest.  These can be all the parts of an animal unfit for human consumption such as hooves, feathers, intestines, etc.  By products contain ingredients you would never knowingly give to your dog. 

5. What are the sources of fat?  The fats in dog food should be animal based.  This is what your dog evolved to eat.  Your dog cannot be a vegetarian or vegan and maintain health.  Fats should also be identifiable such as “chicken fat” or “beef fat.”  If the ingredients state “animal fat,” it should not be fed.  It could (and probably does) contain road kill, spoiled grocery store meats, euthanized pets, or zoo animals.

6. Check for vitamins and minerals.  A list of added vitamins and minerals should be on the label, but avoid the ingredients menadione and sodium selenite.  These are cheap and non-bioavailable sources of vitamin K and selenium respectively. 

7. Your dog food should contain fruits and vegetables, but not as the primary source of nutrition.  The first ingredient should be meat and everything else should follow.
While this short article does not cover every single detail of purchasing pet food and reading labels, it provides the consumer with some guidelines for a happier and healthier dog.  Go beyond the fancy packages and read the ingredients.  Your dog deserves you and he certainly deserves a good diet. 
Just remember that what you find on a dog food packaging isn’t necessarily what you’ll find on the ingredient label.  Packaging is advertising and is meant to entire you into buying that particular product.  The packaging is irrelevant-read the ingredients.  You’ll soon find that even so called premium dog foods contain junk that you would never feed your dog.
Randy Walden
http://www.castlehillsoaps.com
Full reprint rights are given for this article as long as it is reprinted in its entirety.  Author credit must be given and the URL must remain on the article.  This article cannot be sold or altered without the author’s permission.  The author may be contacted via the URL at the end of this article. 

Randy Walden
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/reading-pet-food-labels-738493.html

In spite of many thoughtful and forward-thinking updates in schools, school design, and classroom curriculum, grade school cafeterias haven’t changed significantly in the past 50 years. School kids are still either buying their lunch, which they receive on a tray (“hot lunch”); or they bring lunch from home (“cold lunch”). School lunches often include a self-serve salad bar with a nice variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain rolls; a healthy improvement over years past. However, an enormous amount of good food goes to waste: whole sandwiches, uneaten fruit, unopened cups of yogurt and applesauce, and untouched bags of chips have all been found in waste audits performed at local schools.

Unfortunately, these schools were not unique.  A comprehensive study from Great Britain recently revealed that one third of all food purchased is thrown away, of which 61% could have been eaten. Other studies have found that in the U.S., an estimated 40% to 50% of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten. The average family of four throws away nearly $600 a year in edible meats, vegetables, fruit, and grain products.

Returning to the grade school waste audit, it was revealed that 17% of the trash generated at the school was food waste and 24% was food-packaging waste.  Other schools have found that up to one third of their trash stream is comprised of food waste. Considering that the schools have to pay both for the wasted food AND the waste management, addressing how food comes to the schools and what happens to it is worth a closer look.

So what can be done to stem the tide of good food gone landfill?

Start at the beginning: reduce what is provided for lunch. While free-choice salad bar offerings are an excellent idea, kids often take more than they can eat in one sitting. Signs and classroom guidance can help everyone remember to “take what you want, but eat what you take.” Cold lunch diners can also usually bring less food and still be satisfied – read on for more details.

Pass it on: have a “no thanks” table. Anything brought from home that is unopened, such as yogurt cups, bags of chips, granola bars, applesauce cups and the like can be dropped off at a “no thanks” table where other kids can find something they like. Although there are some issues such as allergy concerns and the stigma associated with “the used food table”, they are not insurmountable. Food left over at the end of each day would be welcomed at a shelter or food bank.

Tackle the tabletop culture: use reusable containers. It has been observed that when a sack lunch is packed in baggies and disposables, any leftover food – like a whole sandwich – is seen as disposable, just like the containers it came in. The same holds true for prepackaged foods, like chips, crackers or cookies in single-serve bags. However, when lunch is packed in reusable containers, uneaten food is returned to the container and put back in the lunch box. This has several immediate and valuable benefits: first, based on the quantities that come home after school, portions can be adjusted accordingly. Second, if there is any leftover food, it usually becomes a ready-made after-school snack (assuming the lunch box has an ice pack to keep everything fresh till mid-afternoon).

It was recently revealed that milk cartons, contrary to common wisdom and due in part to the current economic downturn, usually do not get recycled when they are pulled out of the waste stream but are instead thrown out with the rest of the trash. Furthermore, kids rarely drink the full eight ounces of milk they provide, resulting in additional waste. Schools should consider investing in washable cups and a milk dispenser, both to eliminate the single-use cartons and to reduce the wasted milk. This also has its own issues, one of which is the time necessary to wash the cups after use. Again, this isn’t insurmountable, but may only be a shift in behavior away from stocking the refrigerated milk case to handling the wash. Students themselves can fill the dishwasher trays as well.

Address the school culture: have recess before lunch. Many schools report that cafeteria time is frequently cut short because kids are in a rush to go to recess. The result is that many kids never eat at all, and spend the afternoon hungry and unable to concentrate. Several school districts throughout the U.S. have implemented a reverse strategy: kids go directly to recess for their mid-day break, after which they return to the cafeteria for lunch, where they stay until it’s time to return to the classroom. Reports from Montana schools indicate that “recess before lunch” programs improved student behavior on the playground, in the cafeteria, and in the classroom and resulted in less wasted food. One middle school reported a 50% drop in “plate waste” (food thrown away), and a decrease of 60% in disciplinary actions related to the lunchroom over a three year period. The teachers also reported better concentration and more effective time management with the recess before lunch program.

Finish at the end: offer composting. Some food waste is just that – inedible parts, like banana peels, eggshells and coffee grounds. Many schools have introduced compost bins to help manage these leftover bits, often in association with school garden projects.

As with any change, the usual guidance applies: find advocates among the school staff and parents; research where similar strategies have been attempted and consider whether the results would apply at your own school; consider how every step in a new program might impact classroom time, staff time, and staff resources; and communicate, communicate, communicate to students, parents, teachers, and staff.

Schools are embracing, and teaching, a refreshing environmental message, but they could drive that message home if they applied it to the simplest of everyday activities such as eating lunch. By reducing food and food packaging waste, families and schools alike save money both by reducing the loss of good food to landfills and by avoiding having to pay for its disposal. In today’s budget-conscious home and school economic conditions, that’s no small potatoes.

Nancy Myers
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/no-small-potatoes-how-to-reduce-food-packaging-waste-from-school-lunches-736569.html