Food safety a top concern for Public Health Memorial holiday weekend

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Meal programs and food banks see a large amount of food donated around holidays, and this Memorial Day will be no exception. Hundreds of hungry people in King County rely on emergency food programs to provide what may be the only nourishing meal of their day. Public Health encourages food donations, and stresses that donated food be prepared and handled with safety in mind.

Poverty and hunger may compromise the health and welfare of vulnerable populations, putting them at higher risk for food-borne illness. "Vulnerable populations need the best quality foods, and I am pleased that so many of our meal providers are making food safety a priority," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County.

Public Health recommends the following guidelines for donating food:

• Maintain cold foods at 45 degrees or less
• Maintain hot foods at 140 degrees or above
• Use an accurate thermometer to ensure that food stays hot or cold during preparation and transport
• Leftover foods and foods precooked for later use should be cooled quickly in layers no more than two inches deep
• Meats, milk, other protein-rich foods and whole fruits and vegetables are needed most
• For maximum safety donated foods should be prepared in a commercial kitchen
• Event foods that were on a buffet table have a higher risk of causing foodborne illness and may not be donated

If you wish to donate food or time call the Meals Partnership Coalition: 206-568-7858. For more information on food safety visit www.kingcounty.gov/health/foodsafety

Food safety consultants available

If food donors wish to learn more about safe food preparation and handling, our regional food educators are available for consultation.

• Downtown Seattle Area: Anne Alfred 206-296-4632
• South King County: Joe Kurilla: 206-296-4708
• North King County: Larry French: 206-296-9791

Interview Opportunity with Beverly Graham, founder of Operation: Sack Lunch

Ms. Graham founded Operation: Sack Lunch in 1989 to feed homeless and hungry people in Seattle. A professional musician and former competitive body builder, Ms. Graham was forced by multiple sclerosis to retire early from her athletic career. While recuperating she was moved to action to feed the homeless after observing people eating from garbage cans. "Operation: Sack Lunch is a response to my own illness, a way to help myself" said Ms. Graham, a winner of the 1997 Jefferson Award for Public Service.

Operation: Sack Lunch emphasizes delicious food prepared with safety as the top concern. As she got to know the people she was helping she "came to realize the extreme importance of food safety." "Ten years ago," she says, "I didn't want the bureaucracy telling me what to do -- until I began to educate myself on the importance of safe food preparation and delivery, as the people we serve are the most compromised in the community." Hot meals served by Operation: Sack Lunch include salmon and potatoes with hollandaise sauce; vegetarian and pork-free menu items are offered as well.

Beverly Graham will be available for interviews anytime or on Friday, May 24th before or after her 7:30 p.m. concert performance at the Kirkland Performance Center. Call her in advance at 360-341-1309. Her website is www.opsacklunch.org