Storage Tips For Sending Food Gifts COLLEGE PARK, MD As the holiday season approaches, food catalogs start showing up in mailboxes across America. Every thing from smoked salmon to duck pate to chocolate truffles and hazelnut torte are advertised as the perfect Christmas or Hanukkah gift. But are they safe? “Food items are popular holi day gifts,” says Dr. Mark A. Kan tor, a food and nutrition specialist with the University of Maryland System Cooperative Extension Service. "And, stored properly, they should present no food safety problems.” Some food gifts, for example, must be refrigerated, and bear a label to that effect “lf a product is labeled ‘Keep Refrigerated,’ that’s a warning that not all the bacteria have been inhibited or destroyed,” Kantor ' FISHER’S PAINTING FISHER'S PAINTING A RESTORATION OUTLET STORE ~M ■ ALL TYPES OF INTERIOR ft EXTERIOR "SSL®^™ 08 * <L PAINTING LADDERS & V|Br=% _ sandbla STl n G accessories at low vf 1 ■ ROOF COATING PRICES up J ■ RESTORATION & ■WE HAVE LARGE LOTS OF FACTORY WATERPROOFING ON STONE & DISCOUNTED COLORS, BRICK BUILDINGS MISMATCHES AND JOB LEFTOVERS " AT VERY LOW PRICES V um Pt tJ^Tfl^wla AeSStomei? ■ FREE DELIVERY WITHIN 20 MILES FROM Milts, Water Tanks, Etc. With Aerial Equipment either LOCATION ON $50.00+ ORDERS OFFICE & Newpor| R(J Klnzers, PA 17535 717-768-3239 On Rt. 772 Across From Pequea Valley School STORE 42 316 Market St., Oxford, PA 19363 215-932-2470 . So. of Square In Oxford A explains. “Refrigeration is neces sary to keep the food safe to eat.” Contrary to popular belief, smoking of meats such as turkey and hams doesn’t eliminate the need for refrigeration. These items are smoked for flavor, not preservation. Country hams are a different story. With their high salt content and dryness, they are safe at room temperature because bacteria can’t grow on them. Other gift foods canned meats, vacuum-packed steaks, sausage and cheese assortments, for example may or may not need refrigeration depending on how they were processed. “Some canned meat products are heated to 250 F, just like veg- etables and other canned goods,” says Robert A. Savage, a food technologist with the Processed Products division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “This effectively steril izes them so they are shelf-stable. But some canned hams receive only a mild heat treatment after canning and therefore are not commercially sterile. These hams must be refrigerated (before and after the can is opened).” Vacuum packaging, while inhi biting the growth of spoilage bac teria, encourages other organisms like Clostridium botulinum that thrive in low-oxygen conditions. (Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin that can cause botulism, a sometimes fatal form of food Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 15, 1990-819 poisoning.) “Vacuum-packed steaks are as perishable as raw chicken and should be treated in the same way,” says Savage. Some sausages and cheeses in gift assortments don’t need refrig eration. They are shelf-stable due to brining, drying and, sometimes, preservatives. To help consumers store meat and dairy gifts safely, USDA has prepared the following chart. Food Gifts: How to Store Them, How Long They’ll Last. Cans or Jars of Meat - Refrig erate if so labeled; otherwise shelf-stable 2-5 years. After open ing, store in refrigerator up to a week. Cheese, Processed or Hard - Safe at room temperature, but refrigeration prolongs quality. (Soft cheeses, such as brie, must be refrigerated at all times.) “Cook-Before-Eating” Ham Refrigerate up to 1 week. After cooking, refrigerate up to 5 days. Country Ham - Shelf-stable 1 year if unsliced. Refrigerate 2 to 3 months if sliced. Once cooked, refrigerate 5-7 days. Game Birds - Keep refrigerated up to 2 days raw or 4 days after cooking. Sausage Labeled “Keep Refrigerated” Store refriger ated up to 1 week. Sausage, Hard/Dry If unopened, can be kept in the cabinet 4-6 weeks, in the refriger ator 6 months. After opening, store up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. * FREEZER NOTE Frozen food stays safe indefinitely but !B,s, GflAemiMß sm®ip 2388 Old Leacock Rd., Gordonville, PA 17529 CUSTOM BUILT STOVES, WOOD OR COAL HIGH PRESSURE WASHERS HIGH-TENSILE FENCING -A PEQUEA & PEERLESS BATTERIES KOIKICIII DISTRIBUTOR FOR BEARINGS ILr. r»r vHpup SPROCKETS, PULLEYS, BELTS L ' r y ucnc KENDALL & DRYDENE OILS & LUBRICANTS -7 UKSmia ARROW The Top Quality Alfalfa Variety That Pours Out More. • More Milk and Meat per Acre • More Top Quality Tons • More Disease and Insect Resistance • More Persistence • More Leaves# Less Stem Call Today! Smoketown, PA PH: 717-299-2571 ONE OF AMERICA’S.. All P O Boa 2935 Shawme Minton KS 44201 U S Pti« Vanety Protection framed or applM for ABI tlfelfe vanetiea. Unaukorued itimdunion w uti of All alfalfa rinrtin -rhif hnr rrrtr^r 1 *7 ““ 11 g Plant Vanety Protection Act PubhcLaw9l 577 11 unctJy prohibtnd. VMelon may be yroeecaied C 1990 ABI 03297 may lose quality and flavor. WARNING: Don’t freeze canned food. Expanding contents may burst can seams, causing leakage and rusting. Candy, fruitcakes, plum pud dings and other confections sel dom pose health problems. “These products contain sugar, rum, spices and other ‘preserving’ elements that have been used since the Middle Ages,” says Kan tor. “They can be shipped and stored at room temperature. About the only thing you need to be con cerned with is damage or breakage of the package, especially if it is glass or ceramic.” The one possible health hazard in the dessert category is cheese cake. Because it includes fresh cream cheese, it must be kept cold to avoid spoilage. For this reason, vendors are advised to ship cheesecake frozen solid. Consum ers should then refrigerate the cheesecake upon receipt. If you have questions regarding the safety of food gifts, contact a home economics agent at your local Cooperative Extension Ser vice office. Phone numbers arc included in county (and Baltimore city) listings in the blue pages of the telephone directory. Another source of information is USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hot line, which operates weckedays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. Call 1-800-535-4555 (Washington, D.C., area residents should call 202-447-3333). MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MARKETING ASSOCIATION INC
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