With summer not far off, most of us think about serving more quick and easy suppers. Many of us choose to serve more ready to eat foods.

The following article, which recently appeared in on the FDA’s Consumer Updates page,  is about protecting your family from a bacteria called Listeria. This bacteria has been linked to a number of ready to eat foods.

If you eat food contaminated with Listeria, you could get so sick that you have to be hospitalized. And for certain vulnerable people, the illness could be far worse.

Contaminated food can bring Listeria into the home. Unlike most bacteria, Listeria germs can grow and spread in the refrigerator. So if you unknowingly refrigerate Listeria-contaminated food, the germs not only multiply at the cool temperature, they could contaminate your refrigerator and spread to other foods there, increasing the likelihood that you and your family will become sick.

Those most at risk for listeriosis—the illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes—include pregnant women, older adults and people with compromised immune systems and certain chronic medical conditions (such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant patients). In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and serious illness or death in newborn babies.

What foods could be contaminated?

Listeria has been linked to a variety of ready-to-eat foods, including deli meats, hot dogs, smoked seafood and store-prepared deli-salads. A draft study released May 10, 2013 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) evaluates the risk of listeriosis associated with foods prepared in retail delis. There are many steps that deli operators and processing establishments that supply food to delis can follow to reduce the risk of listeriosis.

FDA and FSIS recommend that consumers at risk for developing listeriosis—including older adults, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems—reheat hot dogs and lunch meats until steaming hot.

At-risk consumers are also advised to avoid unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses (such as feta, brie, camembert, blue-veined cheeses, “queso blanco,” “queso fresco” or Panela), unless they are made with pasteurized milk.

And Listeria can sometimes be found in other foods. In 2011, a multi-state outbreak of listeriosis tied to contaminated cantaloupes caused illnesses and deaths.

Donald Zink, Ph.D, senior science advisor at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, says FDA is aware of cases of foodborne illness caused by bacteria that can live in the kitchen and spread to foods that had not been contaminated.

Consumers are advised to wash all fruits and vegetables under running water just before eating, cutting or cooking, even if you plan to peel the produce first. Scrub firm produce such as melons and cucumbers with a clean produce brush.

To further protect yourself and your family from Listeria, follow these steps:

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Keep Refrigerated Foods Cold

Chilling food properly is an important way of reducing risk of Listeria infection. Although Listeria can grow at refrigeration temperatures, it grows more slowly at refrigerator temperatures of 40 degrees F or less.

• Keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees F or lower and the freezer at 0 degrees F or lower.
• Wrap or cover foods with a sheet of plastic wrap or foil or put foods in plastic bags or clean covered containers before you place them in the refrigerator. Make certain foods do not leak juices onto other foods.
• Place an appliance thermometer, such as a refrigerator thermometer, in the refrigerator, and check the temperature periodically.  Adjust the refrigerator temperature control, if necessary, to keep foods as cold as possible without causing them to freeze. Place a second thermometer in the freezer to check the temperature there.
• Use precooked and ready-to-eat foods as soon as you can. The longer they are stored in the refrigerator, the more chance Listeria has to grow.

“If you have leftovers in your refrigerator, it’s best to throw them out after three days, just to be sure,” says Zink. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

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Clean Refrigerator Regularly

Listeria can contaminate other food through spills in the refrigerator.

• Clean up all spills in your refrigerator right away—especially juices from hot dog and lunch meat packages, raw meat, and raw poultry. Consider using paper towels to avoid transferring germs from a cloth towel.
• Clean the inside walls and shelves of your refrigerator with warm water and liquid soap, then rinse. As an added measure of caution, you can sanitize your refrigerator monthly using the same procedures described below for kitchen surfaces.

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Clean Hands and Kitchen Surfaces Often

Listeria can spread from one surface to another.

• Thoroughly wash food preparation surfaces with warm, soapy water. As an added precaution you should sanitize clean surfaces by using any of the kitchen surface sanitizer products available from grocery stores, being careful to follow label directions.

You can make your own sanitizer by combining 1 teaspoon of unscented bleach to one 1 quart of water, flooding the surface and letting it stand for 10 minutes.  Then rinse with clean water.  Let surfaces air dry or pat them dry with fresh paper towels.  Bleach solutions get less effective with time, so discard unused portions daily.

• A cutting board should be washed with warm, soapy water after each use. Nonporous acrylic, plastic, or glass boards can be washed in a dishwasher.
• Dish cloths, towels and cloth grocery bags should be washed often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.
• It’s also important, to wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.

This message comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, from Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

Women often put the needs of their family first.  As a result, their own health can take a back seat. Women can do some things to promote healthy habits for themselves and for their family.

Dr. Nancy Lee is the director of the HHS Office on Women’s Health.

“We want women to get active, eat healthy foods, pay attention to their mental health, schedule regular checkups, and avoid unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and not wearing a seat belt.”

Regular checkups are vital to the early detection of diseases. For instance, it’s important to have your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked regularly, and get the right screenings and vaccinations.

“By making their own health a priority and modeling healthy behaviors, women can lead by example.”

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

P.S. Be sure to include a yearly visit to the GYN for an exam including a PAP, a comprehensive breast exam, and if, you are 40, get a referral for your annual mammogram.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The Partnership for Food Safety Education wants you to know that to prevent food-related illness due to under-cooking frozen or other convenience foods follow these four simple tips:

1. Read and follow package cooking instructions.

2. Know when to use a microwave or conventional oven.

3. Know your microwave wattage before microwaving food.

4. Always use a food thermometer to ensure a safe internal temperature.

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service wants you to know the following about keeping party foods safe:

• Make sure all food is cooked thoroughly before serving.
• Store prepared foods in shallow pans so they cool quickly and evenly. Reheat and serve small amounts on platters while the remaining food stays hot in the oven.
• Don’t let food stay at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Use chafing dishes, warming trays or slow cookers to keep foods hot.
• Surround dishes of cold foods with ice.

Both government agencies are quick to remind us that taking precautions when preparing and serving food can spare us the misery of a food-induced illness.

I was asked to make my readers aware of the following grants program for schools.

 ChildObesity180′s Active Schools Acceleration Project (ASAP www.activeschoolsasap.org) has announced it is awarding $1 million in Acceleration Grants to give schools across America everything they need to become active schools.

 Why is physical activity programming important? It’s simple. Active schools do better. ASAP’s Innovation Competition last year discovered incredibly innovative physical activity programs happening in schools all across the country spearheaded by grassroots champions – parents, teachers, and advocates passionate about children’s health.

 Now these fun, flexible, and creative programs are ready to share with the nation. ASAP is awarding 1,000 elementary schools each with $1,000 Acceleration Grants to kick start a new program and realize all the benefits of being an active school. That’s $1 million to get America’s kids moving again in school. You choose the best match for your school:

 BOKS – A 40-minute before-school physical activity program featuring structured group play with games and drills emphasizing aerobic exertion.

 100 Mile Club – A walk/run program where students run 100 miles over the course of the school year, logging miles and earning prizes along the way.

 Just Move – A classroom-based activity program featuring an academically integrated curriculum of in-class movement breaks.

 Winning schools will receive everything they need to get started: $1,000 in seed funding, a game plan to follow and a support network of champions across the country embarking on the same path.

 Are you ready to be a champion for this cause? Are you ready to make a difference in your school? Is your school ready to join the movement?

 Teachers, parents, coaches and all school wellness champions are encouraged to apply today! Head to www.ActiveSchoolsASAP.org to learn more and get started.

Active Schools Acceleration Project is an initiative of ChildObesity180,an organization that uses evidence-based research, multi-sector leadership and an integrated portfolio of initiatives that together accelerate systemic change to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. Learn more at www.ChildObesity180.org.

More about ASAP:

 Active Schools Acceleration Project (ASAP) is part of a new breed of entrepreneurial non-profit that is increasing quality physical activity in schools. We do this by identifying grassroots champions, developing replicable models, and bringing the funding and resources to bring physical activity programs back to schools.

 ASAP programs are simple, unintimidating and flexible enough to accommodate the unique environment and challenges of each individual school. ASAP scoured the nation to find programs pioneered by everyday people who were inspired to say “Yes we can” and now the initiative is empowering and funding new schools to adopt these proven models that are fun, creative and can make a difference.

 ASAP gives schools everything they need to jump start new programs; seed money and simple programs in their schools to get kids moving. It makes it easy and accessible for teachers, parents and community partners to make a difference in schools across the country.  Recipients of ASAP grants are recognized within the region as innovative leaders. ASAP schools are trailblazers demonstrating that fun physical activity is a fundamental component of what defines a quality education and a great school.