Making a Difference
2013 - 2014
Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health Program Focus Team
Food Safety: Preserving the Harvest
Grand
Challenges
K-State Research
and Extension:
providing education
you can trust to help
people, businesses,
and communities
solve problems,
develop skills, and
build a better future.
Situation
Home food preservation is increasing, along with the growth of home gardening. A
Jarden Home Brands survey found that a majority (93 percent) of U.S. consumers believe
homemade food is healthier, and 88 percent believe home-preserved food tastes better.
Consumers, however, often use old or unsafe practices to preserve food at home.
What We Did
Local family and consumer sciences agents and state specialists taught classes across
Kansas featuring safe, hands-on food preservation practices. Participants learned about
current equipment, reputable recipe sources, and recommended preservation methods
for various foods. In total, 360 consumers attended the classes, including nine classes for
Latino populations. Topics included pressure canning, water bath canning, dehydration,
and freezing.
Outcomes
Londa Nwadike
State Food Safety
Specialist
913-307-7391
lnwadike@ksu.edu
In a post-training survey of participants, respondents Strongly Agree or Agree to the
following statements:
Karen Blakeslee
Rapid Response Center
Coordinator
785-532-1673
kblakesl@ksu.edu
Robin Eubank
Family and Consumer
Sciences Agent
620-886-3971
reubank@ksu.edu
•
improved knowledge about food preservation (99 percent)
•
practiced new skills (97 percent)
•
became more aware of safe food preservation techniques (98 percent)
•
learned about safe resources for food preservation (98 percent)
•
gained ability to adjust processing for altitude (96 percent)
Participant comments on evaluations provide further evidence of behavior change:
“I will rethink ways to preserve my foods.”
“I plan to can more and use safe practices.”
Success Story
After attending a food preservation class,
one participant in her early 30s went on to
study methods of canning other types of
foods through resources provided in the class.
She now reports a lower energy bill because
she is able to can wild game and fruits and
vegetables from the garden instead of
freezing them. She also mastered her fear
that a pressure canner might explode when she used it. She reports her family loves the
home-canned items and that they purchase fewer processed foods because of the ease of
using home-preserved foods.
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.