Dating and Food Safety

The Johnson County SNAP-Ed Assistant held a series 10 of nutrition lessons with the Johnson County Senior Citizens Center. During one of the lessons, 70% of the clients talked about not understanding the different types of dates on their food products. They thought 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 one or two people. 

During the next visit the Johnson County SNAP-Ed Assistant taught the lesson on, “Keep Foods Safe for Everybody.” The group went over the importance of food temperatures, food storage, keeping everything clean and how to understand the packaging dates. Along with this they also discussed the proper way of thawing foods, how to store their leftovers and information on how long foods will last. After the final Behavior Exit Questionnaire was taken there was a 97% increase shown in food safety practices and an 84% increase shown in food resource management. One client commented that they were saving a total of $25.00 a week in groceries by practicing the proper way of storing their foods.