SCHOOL-AGE KIDS, FOOD, AND SAFETY

National Network for Child Care's Connections Newsletter

Mary A. Keith, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist
Extension Foods and Nutrition
University of Illinois Cooperative Extension

Copyright/Access Information


When we think of children and food, we think of how much they eat or the poor choices they make. However, children today are also becoming more involved in buying and preparing food.

In 1985, a survey asked 8- to 12-year-olds about what they ate and how they cooked at home. Ninety-five percent said they prepared at least some of their own meals or snacks. Ninety-one percent reported that they liked to cook and prepare food.

Overall, children fell into two groups: children whose mothers worked outside the home and children whose mothers did not. The following table shows that children were handling food and preparing meals even when their mother was in the home full-time. The figures were much higher for children of working mothers.

Mother not employed outside home...

Prepared their own breakfast - 21%
Prepared lunch for school - 27%
Prepared food in microwave - 64%
Used stove top for cooking - 48%


Mother employed outside home...

Prepared their own breakfast - 41%
Prepared lunch for school - 56%
Prepared food in microwave - 80%
Used stove top for cooking - 64%


Many after-school programs and family day care homes use cooking projects. This may help explain the growing number of children who cook at home. Cooking projects can help children learn about nutrition and gain basic skills such as cutting and measuring.

It is also important to teach food safety. In recent years, both the number of children who cook and the number of food poisoning cases have increased.

About five million cases of food-related illnesses are confirmed each year.

In 1982, food kept at the wrong temperature caused 67 percent of the food poisoning cases. Other causes included inadequate cooking, 32 percent; poor personal hygiene, 23 percent; unsafe or dirty equipment, 14 percent; and food from an unsafe source, only 10 percent. (The numbers add up to more than 100 percent because several factors may contribute to a single case of food poisoning.) Clearly, improper food handling is the major cause of food poisoning.

We can't be sure that food poisoning increases when children prepare food. But we must teach them how to prepare and store food safely.

BASIC RULES OF FOOD SAFETY

KEEP HOT FOOD HOT. Always keep hot food at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

KEEP COLD FOOD COLD. Store food below 40 degrees Fahrenheit if it will be served cold. Do the same with food that is still uncooked or with leftovers that will be reheated.

Perishable foods (foods other than baked goods or shelf-stable foods) should be allowed to remain between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit for no more than two hours.

KEEP THINGS CLEAN. This includes not just the food itself but also the utensils, the kitchen, and the food handlers!

Hand washing is essential. Few people realize that this means scrubbing with a full lather for 30 seconds! That is a long time, but less scrubbing just doesn't do the job of reducing bacteria.

KEEP FOODS SEPARATE. Keep raw foods separate from cooked foods. Raw foods such as meat and poultry may contain harmful bacteria. Cooking will destroy those bacteria and make the food safe. But the bacteria will remain on plates, cutting boards, and utensils that have been in contact with the raw food. It is important that raw or already-cooked food not come in contact with these surfaces or with the raw juices of these foods.

TEACHING ABOUT FOOD SAFETY

Although you can't use harmful bacteria in the child care setting, you can show how they grow. You can also make children more aware of food safety issues. Here are some activities to try.

Dissolve yeast in hot, warm, cold, salty, and sugary water to show how temperature, salt, and sugar affect the growth of bacteria. Cold temperatures and salt slow down bacterial growth. Warm water encourages bacterial and yeast growth. Adding small amounts of sugar to warm water provides food for the yeast so it grows even faster. But very hot water or a lot of sugar will stop the growth of bacteria. That's how jelly and jam are preserved.

Use agar plates to "grow" bacteria from sneezes, coughs, hairs, or fingerprints. This can help you explain how we can spread germs to others. Contact your local high school science teacher or hospital about how to obtain agar plates.

Conduct a food safety audit of your classroom or kitchen to identify potential problems.

Clip newspaper or magazine articles about food poisoning and food safety to illustrate how often food poisoning happens.