CFSAN News for Educators January 2020

Food Safety

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, lots of people are thinking of sweet ways to celebrate. If you’re planning on making any treats for your loved ones, it is important to remember that flour is a raw food. Eating raw dough or batter—whether it’s for cake or cookies—could make you, and your valentine, sick. Be sure to share these flour safety tips with your audiences to help keep them and their loved ones healthy:

• Do not eat or allow children to eat or play with raw dough products made with any brand of flour or baking mix before cooking.
• Follow package directions on baking mixes and other products containing flour for correct cooking times and temperatures.
• Clean up carefully after working with flour, raw dough, or raw eggs. Wash hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly.
• Keep all raw foods, like flour and eggs, separate from ready-to-eat foods. Remember, flour is a powder and spreads easily.
• Refrigerate cookie and pastry dough according to package directions. Use a refrigerator thermometer to be sure your refrigerator is at a safe 40°F.

Nutrition

Aim to eat more fish for a healthier eating pattern in the new year. FDA has released four new photonovels—or comic-style graphic stories—that share information about eating fish while pregnant and why including fish in children’s diet can help their growth and development. These photonovels are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese and support the updated advice on eating fish from FDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to choosing healthy and safe fish options:

• Fish are part of a healthy eating pattern. Fish can have nutritional benefits for children’s growth during pregnancy and childhood. And, as part of a healthy eating pattern, eating fish may also offer heart health benefits and lower the risk of obesity.
• Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury. It is important to limit mercury in the diets of women who are or could become pregnant or who are breastfeeding and young children. There are many types of fish that are both nutritious and lower in mercury.
• Do not eat raw fish. Raw fish is not recommended for pregnant women and young children. These groups often have weaker immune systems and are more at risk for foodborne illnesses. 

Cosmetics

The new year is here, which means it’s time to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. This year consider making a resolution to discard your old cosmetics. A cosmetic product’s shelf life is the general time frame that a product appears and functions as expected, and is considered to be safe for use as directed. The shelf life can differ for each product and be affected by the frequency of product usage and method of storage.

U.S. laws or regulations do not require cosmetic products’ labels to have printed expiration dates. However, manufacturers are responsible for making sure their products are safe. FDA considers determining a product’s shelf life to be part of the manufacturer’s responsibility.

Don’t take your old cosmetics into the NEW year! Use these helpful tips to make the best decisions about the cosmetics you choose to keep. If any of your products look or smell odd, throw them away!

• Contamination: Practices such as putting your fingers into a product container can introduce bacteria into the product itself. To avoid possible contamination, pour a minimal amount of product onto the back of your hand, or use a new applicator during each use.
• Time: Over time, preservatives used in cosmetic products can lose their effectiveness, resulting in fungi and bacteria growth. To avoid using your cosmetic products after the end of their shelf life, label your products with the date you opened them.
• Exposure: Products stored in a bathroom could be exposed to moisture, potentially making it easier for fungi and bacteria to grow in them. Additionally, certain cosmetic products can crack, harden, and dry out due to overexposure to air. To help minimize exposure to moisture, light, and heat, store products in airtight containers in cool, dry places.

CONNECT WITH FDA Invite a friend or colleague to sign up for future issues of News for Educators! Get email alerts about recalls and other food and cosmetic safety news by subscribing to FDA’s email updates. Follow us on Twitter! Get current information from FDA FOOD and FDA Cosmetics. Join us on Pinterest! See the many resources available from FDA, and watch for new boards and pins. Like us on Facebook! See FDA posts and join the conversation.