822-UncMtor Farming, Saturday, Dacambar 17,1994
UNIVERSITY PARK, (Centre
Co.) Looking for information
on child care, money manage
ment, farm and home safety or
agricultural statistics? What about
low-fat cooking, nutrition guide
lines or animal welfare?
Try PENpages, a computer
based library of consumer and
agricultural information operated
and maintained by Penn State’s
College of Agricultural Sciences.
The free service can be accessed
by dialing a local telephone num
ber in Pennsylvania counties, and
also can be accessed intemational-
CREAMERY (Montgomery
Co.) Most of us like getting
packages in the mail,-but food
shipped by mail needs special
handling to avoid a real surprise
food borne illness. This year, if
you are the sender or the receiver,
please follow safe food handling
procedures. Annette Goodling of
Montgomery County Cooperative
Extension offers these food hand
ling tips for perishable foods such
as smoked turkey, cheese, and
sausage gift packs.
TIPS FOR THE
PURCHASER (SENDER)
• Check with the company
How the gift will be packaged? It
should be packed in foam or heavy
corrugated cardboard. If it's a per
ishable item like meat or poultry,
it should be cold or frozen and
packed with a cold source like the
frozen gel packs.
• Speedy delivery How the
food will be shipped? If it’s a per
ishable item, it should be deliver
ed as quickly as possible, ideally,
overnight Make sure perishable
items and the outer package are la
beled “KEEP REFRIGERATED”
to alert the recipient
• Storage and preparation in
structions Will the food item
come with storage and preparation
instructions? Some mail order
food gift items are of an unusual
nature and some consumers may
not know how to handle or prepare
them.
• Arrange a delivery date
Tell the recipient if the company
has promised a delivery date, or
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PENpages Can Help You Find Facts Fast
ly via the Internet.
PENpages is devoted to agri
culture-related information that
encompasses an amazingly wide
range of subjects. PENpages con
tains practical information on top
ics from conserving water to stor
ing winter clothing.
PENpages is available 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. All you
need is a computer, communica
tions software and a modem con
nected to a telephone line. In
Pennsylvania, PENpages is
accessed by dialing a special tele
phone number in each county.
■prises By Mail
Su
alert the recipient that “the gift is
in the mail” so that they or a
neighbor can be home to receive
it. Otherwise it may sit unsafely
on the front porch or at the post of
fice for hours or even days. Don’t
have perishable items delivered to
an office unless you know it will
arrive on a work day and there’s
refrigerator space available for
keeping it cold.
TIPS FOR THE RECEIVER
• Check the temperature
When you receive a food item
marked “Keep Refrigerated,”
open it immediately and check its
temperature. Optimally, the food
should arrive frozen or partially
frozen with ice crystals still visi
ble, or at least, refrigerator cold to
the touch. If perishable food ar
rives warm notify the company if
you think you deserve a refund.
DO NOT eat the food. But re
member, it’s the shipper’s respon
sibility to deliver perishable foods
on time. It’s the customer’s re
sponsibility to have someone at
home to receive the package.
• Keep it cold Refrigerate or
freeze perishable items immedi
ately. Even if a product is partially
defrosted it is safe to freeze it, al
though there may be a slight loss
of quality.
TIPS FOR THE
MAIL-IT-YOURSELFER
• Pack it safely Perishable
foods will stay at a safe tempera
ture longer if frozen solid first. Af
ter frozen, pack your food gift
with a cold source such as a frozen
gel pack or purchased dry ice.
Most users have toll-free access,
Much of the information is gen
erated by experts in Penn State’s
College of Agricultural Sciences.
Other contributors include the
U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Penn State’s College of Health
and Human Development and
Nutrition Center, Cornell Univer
sity, Ohio State University, and
West Virginia University.
There are six national databas
es in PENpages. IF AN, the Inter
national Food and Nutrition Data
base was established in 1992 and
• Use a sturdy box—pack your
frozen food and cold source in a
sturdy box, such as heavy foam or
corrupted cardboard. Fill up any
empty space with crushed paper or
foam “popcorn.” Air space in the
box will cause the food and cold
source to thaw faster.
• Label it perishable Your
package should be clearly labeled
“Perishable - Keep Refrigerated.”
As in ’Tips for the Purchaser,”
above, arrange a delivery date
with the recipient Ship your pack
ap by overnight delivery.
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now has over 1,700 articles on all
aspects of human nutrition.
MAPP, the Family and Economic
Well-Being National Database,
was established in 1986 in support
of the USDA Extension Services
Family Economic Well-Being
National Initiative.
MAPP features information on
stress management, family eco
nomics, individual development,
child care and other family issues.
Dr. James Van Horn, professor of
rural sociology at Penn State and a
syndicated Associated Press
columnist, compiles and edits the
documents appearing in MAPP
from specialists throughout the
country.
Information on aging issues
can be found in the Senior Series
Database, and information on
rural health issues is located in the
Rural Health Database. For youth
issues, search the AH and Youth
Development Database and for
information on diversity topics,
try the USDA-sponsored Cooper
ative Extension Service National
Diversity and Pluralism Database.
Several state agencies also sup
ply information for PENpages.
The Pennsylvania Agricultural
Statistics Service (PASS), a divi-
• Agricultural • Commercial
• Residential
LET OUR EXPERIENCE WORK FOR YOU
ESTABLISHED SINCE 1979!
sion of the state and federal
departments of agriculture, com
piles information on all major
Pennsylvania agricultural com
modities. This information is
placed in PENpages and relayed to
USDA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service for inclusion in
national statistics.
PASS is one of four PDA
bureaus that place information in
PENpages. The Bureau of Plant
Industry puts a monthly plant pest
update on the system, and the
Bureau of Market Development
posts current market and auction
prices for livestock and produce
The PDA press office adds news
and current information to the
database.
People interested in using
PENpages can obtain a free User
Guide from the local Penn State
Cooperative Extension office. The
guide provides step-by-step
instructions and local telephone
numbers to call for each county.
People who live outside Pennsyl
vania can obtain a User Guide by
writing to Computer Services, 40S
Agricultural Administration
Building, University Park, PA
16802 or by calling (814) 863-
3449.
INC.
430 Concrete Ave., Leola, PA