Karen Blakeslee

Karen Blakeslee is an Extension Associate with K-State Research and Extension and is coordinator of the Rapid Response Center.  She helps coordinate the Master Food Volunteer program, she teaches food safety, food science, food preparation and food preservation.  She also teaches food preservation, ServSafe, Food Judges training and manage several websites. With a B.S. in Food Science and a M.S. in Foods and Nutrition, Karen has about 12 years in the food industry and 11 years with K-State Research and Extension.

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The holidays are here and gift giving is on everyone’s mind. Gifts of homemade goodies or favorite candies are popular. But did you know there is a food recall currently issued for chocolate candy with almonds that may be tainted with peanuts? For many children and adults who are allergic to peanuts, this can lead to anaphylaxis or even death.

And the night before Thanksgiving, producers recalled two iconic holiday foods as families finalized their menus and preparations. In addition to the turkey and stuffing, families could have served metal fragments in the dried cranberries or pumpkin pies with filling that doesn’t “meet quality standards,” according to the distributor’s press release.

So how does a consumer know when a food is recalled? There are food recalls issued almost daily for a variety of reasons. Many do not make the news because they don’t affect a large number of people. Many also do not affect the entire county, just certain areas or states. A one-stop resource for any kind of food recall is www.recalls.gov. You can subscribe to updates by email when a recall is issued. Information for this site is gathered from the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

There is also an application for Android phones for food recalls and alerts. Subscribe to the Recalls RSS Feed for quick information to your desktop or web browser. Anyone who manages a food website can incorporate a Food Safety Widget into their web site that is constantly updated with the latest news on recalls. All of these tools can be found at http://www.foodsafety.gov/recalls/alerts/index.html.

Food processors must also be diligent to help avoid accidental contamination of foods. While this can be difficult and time consuming, that extra effort can save a life. For those with food allergies, accidental contamination is the most common reason they go to the Emergency Room. It all comes down to education and training.

According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, “Each year in the U.S., it is estimated that anaphylaxis to food results in 30,000 emergency room visits, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 150 deaths.” Many of these occur due to accidental exposure to allergenic foods.

Those who have food allergies must diligently read labels to avoid illness. This has become easier in recent years with the 2006 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. This requires labeling foods for the eight common foods that cause 90 percent of all allergic reactions. These include eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish. Be proactive! Help those who live with food allergies and help them live without being afraid to eat. Their only defense is to avoid certain foods.