Browse Food Storage Stories

Consumers hold high standards for fresh food, which farmers aim to meet, but hot summer temperatures and long-haul deliveries can degrade quality even before produce makes it into stores. In a collaborative study, Angelos Deltsidis, assistant professor of horticulture in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, teamed up with UGA Cooperative Extension agents to improve upon a decades-old method of precooling to increase efficiency and reduce postharvest losses along the value chain.

According to the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety study, SARS-CoV-2 experimentally introduced onto berries remained infectious on frozen berries for at least a month. Refrigerating berries at 39 degrees Fahrenheit showed a 90% reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infectivity over the course of three days, as did washing berries before freezing.

Food technology entrepreneur James Gratzek will serve as the next director of the Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center on the University of Georgia Griffin campus, according to the Department of Food Science and Technology at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Carla Schwan has been hired as an assistant professor and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist in food safety and home food preservation in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. She is slated to get started January 2022.

Adulting is hard.

A team of University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents, led by a faculty member in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, will address consumer questions on food safety and preservation while overseeing the National Center for Home Food Preservation on an interim basis.

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.

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

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.