Browse Food Stories - Page 8

The first Georgia peach crop of the year is arriving at roadside fruit stands, farm markets and grocery stores. Preserving peaches by canning, freezing or drying is the best way to extend the use of this popular fruit long after the harvest is over.

Our nutrition and physical activity behaviors are not just the result of our personal choices. The environment or setting in which we live and family cultures and customs can also influence our choices and behaviors.

Like the moments before a race begins, dozens of staff with Georgia Grown and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension prepared to load thousands of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables into hundreds of waiting cars and trucks stretched out in long lines at the Gwinnett Georgia Grown to Go event in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on May 27, even before the 3 p.m. start time.

Freezing is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Widespread school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have raised concerns about students’ lack of access to milk.

Overeating is a normal reaction to being bored or anxious, but in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the phenomenon has taken on a new dimension. With many Americans now rapidly adjusting to working or studying from home – often within arm’s reach of the refrigerator or pantry – the temptation to overeat is a real one, and it can have real consequences.

While there is no evidence that the COVID-19 virus is a food safety concern, it is a worker health concern as it spreads via close person-to-person contact or by contact with contaminated surfaces.

As messages about COVID-19 come in from all angles, consumers need clear, direct information on how to keep themselves and their families safe from potential infection. University of Georgia food scientists offer tips on staying healthy and protecting your family.

Buying takeout food is a good choice to lower risks of exposure to COVID-19 because it reduces the number of touchpoints relative to eating in a restaurant, said Elizabeth Andress, a UGA Extension food safety specialist in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Because peanut is nutritious, relatively inexpensive and shelf stable, the nut already is the main component in Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food to help children recover from severe malnutrition and in supplementary foods to prevent malnutrition. Numerous studies show cognitive benefits to people who consume nuts; research currently under way through the Peanut Innovation Lab could directly show that eating peanuts can help children succeed in school.