Subscriptions to the Blog.
By: Dr. Kara Morgan
Within the coronavirus pandemic, we are living through extraordinary times. Even as a decision analyst who is accustomed to bringing tools and experience to the challenge of making decisions under uncertainty, I am finding it challenging to absorb and react to all of the emerging information that we are continuously receiving. It is overwhelming.
By: Allison Howell
I was home with my family for Spring Break when Ohio State first announced a transition to online learning for the rest of Spring Semester. As a graduating senior, I didn’t know how to feel. I was sad that I wouldn’t get to see my classmates or teachers anymore. I was confused as to how my lab courses would be transitioned into an online format. But as a microbiology major, I understood the threat that COVID-19 posed and why these decisions had been made. Soon, more announcements were made. Spring Break would be extended an extra week for students to move out of university housing, gyms and dining facilities would be shut down, students on study abroad would have to return home, and the Class of 2020’s graduation ceremony would be cancelled. All of these cancellations and postponements put a damper on the last few weeks of my undergraduate experience, but I adapted to the situation and finished my coursework to earn my undergraduate degree.
By: Zain Bali
Tracking information is important to food safety regulators and businesses because it helps identify when and where products have been. Blockchain technology is a new tool that can track products more efficiently and effectively than bar or QR codes. The potential benefits of blockchain technology for record keeping in food supply chains have been a clear and consistent message for years (Fontanazza, 2019; How Blockchain, 2019; Plaven, 2020). Using blockchain would allow for immediate trace-back when a contaminated product is found. And it can identify the source of the food in hours instead of the weeks it now takes. So, what is blockchain? What are its uses across the food industry? What is a food safety perspective and how could blockchain assist in product tracking and by extension outbreak investigations?
By: Tracy Turner
What steps do I need to take when ordering takeout food or food from a delivery service in light of the coronavirus pandemic?
First, it’s important to understand that COVID-19 is not a foodborne disease. While there have been no reports as of this time to suggest that COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has been transmitted by handling food or food packaging, here are some ways that you can protect yourselves and others when ordering food through takeout, a drive-thru, or a home delivery service.
By: Tracy Turner
What steps do I need to take when grocery shopping in light of the coronavirus pandemic?
COVID-19 is not a foodborne disease. While there have been no reports as of this time to suggest that COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has been transmitted by handling food or food packaging, here are ways that consumers can protect themselves when grocery shopping.
COVID-19 transmits person-to-person through droplets that are produced when an infected individual coughs or sneezes, said Qiuhong Wang, a scientist and coronavirus researcher with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
By: Gary Closs, Jr.
Lake Atitlán, Guatemala is equal parts beautiful and dangerous. Beyond the captivating beauty of the volcanic lake lie stories that few get to tell. We, OSU graduate students and Asst. Professor/ CFI director Barbara Kowalcyk, were visiting the lake to learn more about its connection to food safety and its implications on One Health. My first glance of the lake came as we drove to Panajachel. The picturesque lake looked like the place meditation leaders tell you to imagine when you close your eyes. Three volcanoes (San Pedro, Tolimán, and Atitlán) surround it. The deep, blue lake was further decorated with rich green trees and kissed by the sunlight on the horizon. I took in the beauty of the lake on day one and found myself staring out my hotel balcony all night as the sunset turned the sky shades of pink and orange in the distance.
By: Emily Campbell
On our recent trip to Guatemala we had the opportunity to tour the chocolate production facility of SERO chocolate. They are a Guatemalan chocolate producer that integrates social and environmental responsibility with the quality cacao necessary to create fine chocolates. Their philosophy helps them create a comprehensive and quality product that connects them with people the supply chain depends on and helps expand their cultural horizons.
By: Devon Mendez
From the moment we landed in Guatemala I began to take in the multitude of differences that existed between my home in Ohio and the loud and bustling Guatemala City. As we traveled throughout the country, we were able to see and experience many incredible things, including a visit to Lake Atitlan, a lake created by the three volcanos, one of which you can see in the background of the photo below. While on the surface the lake seemed healthy, a meeting with members of the organization “Friends of Lake Atitlan” taught us that the water was anything but.
By: Drew Barkley
This past spring break, I was fortunate enough to travel with the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention to Guatemala for work related to the Prenatal Exposure to Mycotoxins project (https://foodsafety.osu.edu/research/pesar). In the middle of our trip, our schedule changed so that we had an extra unplanned day in Guatemala City. So, we decided to tour a fruit and vegetable cooperative processing facility that some of our Guatemalan colleagues were able to arrange. We met our guide and then proceeded to suit up in booties, masks, and lab coats before entering the facility. After a thorough handwash and step through the bleach pool, we were getting a look at the processing lines. The day we were there, they were packaging primarily French beans and carrots. We were able to see where the raw product arrived, how it was washed and packaged, where finished product was stored, and what happened to rejected product. Overall, I was impressed with their food safety measures that included temperature-controlled rooms, good worker hygiene, microbiological and pesticide testing, and traceback codes.
Last summer I spent a Saturday morning with a friend at a farmer’s market that sets up every week from April through November. We enjoyed looking at the different booths and products, many of which came from here in central Ohio. As we went down the row of booths, we tried some kettle corn, different salsas, and purchased some salted chocolate donuts. Continuing down the row, we came across a cheese booth. While my friend, still in a “try everything” mode, started to sample the different cheeses, I decided to pass after reading “unpasteurized” on the label. The stop at this booth reminded me that just because food is locally sourced and fresher, it doesn’t mean that it’s safer.
