Safe the Date

The Johnson County SNAP-Ed Senior Assistant held a series of 7 nutrition lessons with the Johnson County Head Start Parent Group. During one of the sessions the clients talked about misunderstanding the different types of packaging dates on their food products. Some thought that foods were ok to eat as long as they smelled and looked good. They also had concerns on food waste and how to properly store leftovers when cooking for their families. 

We went over the lesson, “Keep Foods Safe for Everybody.” We talked about the importance of safe food temperatures, using food thermometers, proper food storage, keeping your kitchen area clean and how to understand the packaging dates. Along with this we also discussed the proper way of thawing foods, how to store their leftovers and information on how long foods will last after packages have been opened. 

At the next meeting all of the clients were using the advice from the lesson. They commented about how they were now properly thawing foods and keeping kitchen surface areas clean. One couple talked about how they had saved over $50.00 that month because they had utilized the information and were now storing leftovers within two hours and storing bulk groceries the proper way when they got home from the grocery store.