The First Step in Food Safety

Have you ever purchased canned food, only to come home and find that the vacuum seal has been compromised because the inverted button on the top of the can is not inverted? That has happened to me more than once. Now I carefully check the cans and jars I select at the store before I purchase them. When cans and jars are safely sealed, there will be no popping sound when you press down on the top of the can or jar cap.

While teaching our children to prepare food, we also need to teach them to check for airtight seals on the jars and cans they purchase, because some day they may be purchasing these items on their own. On trips to the supermarket, I give Marisa items we select to check for the airtight seal. I remind her that if it makes a popping noise, then it is not okay to purchase, because the airtight seal has been broken and the food may no longer be fresh. Then it's important to turn the item in to customer service so other people will not purchase the item and risk getting sick.

At home I might open a can or jar and then ask Marisa to test it to see if it is still airtight or has been opened, or I might show her an opened jar as opposed to one that hasn't been opened yet. Then I will ask her to distinguish between the one that is opened and the one that is still sealed. I want to be sure she remembers to always check items before using them.

Recently Marisa announced that she found the perfect recipe for nights that she would have to eat quickly in order to make it to her Drama Club. I was very pleasantly surprised when she selected a very healthy recipe from The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start cookbook she recently purchased for herself.

"Portobello Pizzas! Oh how nice!" I remarked.

We purchased all the ingredients together, and then I watched as she assembled and prepared her quick fix dinner. She preheated the oven, took out all the ingredients, lined and greased a baking pan, and washed and dried her 2 portobello mushrooms. Then she took the new jar of pizza sauce we had purchased and pressed down on the cap to test it's airtight seal. As she opened the jar there was a pop and a rush of air.

"Check the seal now," I said. She pressed the cap and listened to the pop, knowing that because she had opened the jar, there would be a distinct popping sound.

"Now that the jar is opened, you will have to refrigerate it," I said.

We checked the sauce website to find out how long we could safely refrigerate an opened jar of sauce, and learned that it was safe to use for seven days. I suggested that we write the date on the jar so we will remember when the sauce was opened. "Okay," Marisa answered as we marked the cap of the jar. "I'll use it again on Friday before my evening program!"

I was relieved to realize that I was taking steps to make sure Marisa would know these very basic but important food safety precautions. I thought back and cringed at the time she opened a jar of sauce and then stored it in the kitchen cabinet for another day. It wasn't until a week later that I found the jar she had used at least two times. I learned something very important from that experience. We can't assume these little things will be learned by osmosis. Every little thing must be taught. Just one more moment to learn from in the journey toward a safe, less dependent and happy future.