• N.C. Cooperative Extension Health & Nutrition  – Making healthy choices isn’t always easy. North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s educators help people sort fact from fad, providing research-based programs that promote a lifetime of good health. Programs cover a broad spectrum, from pesticide safety to indoor air quality, from childhood nutrition and physical activity to heart-healthy eating and food safety.

Nutrition

• Eat Smart Move More North Carolina & MyEastSmartMoveMore.com – Simple solutions developed in NC for helping others eat more fruits and veggies.
• Fruit & Veggies Matter – Recipes – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Fruit and Vegetable Program
• Fruit and Veggies More Matters – Produce for Better Health Foundation

Food Safety and Food Preservation

• Fall Garden Produce – (when and how to harvest and store)
• A Handbook for Beginning and Veteran Garden Organizers: How to Reduce Food Safety Risks
• Food Safety Culture Team – Food Safety for School and Community Gardens
• Growing Safer Gardens
• Food Safety in School & Community Gardens, recording of a 45 min webinar with Dr. Ben Chapman (Skip Forward to the 35 min mark)

Summary of Key areas to address

1. Site Selection – Learn the Site History (official and community knowledge)
2. Hand washing – Soap and Clean Running Water and Dry with Single Use Towel or wear single use gloves to harvest
3. Water – Use treated water source
4. Compost – Put the bin as far from garden as possible on the downhill side of the garden – don’t use raw manure in compost, ensure compost is heated to 130 degrees for 5 days prior to using in the garden
5. Animals – Fence animals out.
6. Sanitation & Tools – use one use gloves to harvest, put harvest in clean, sanitized containers.

Dr. Ben Chapman, Benjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu, Twitter @benjaminchapman

• foodsafetyinfosheets.org
• www.foodsafetytalk.com
• barfblog.com