“Use by,” “Sell by” and “Best by” dates on food packaging can be helpful indicators of how long a consumer can store a food item before eating, but often these dates lead to high quantities of wasted food. About one-fifth of food produced for human consumption is discarded before it can be eaten, equating to 1 billion meals a day and contributing to global food insecurity.

The holiday table: For many, it is the highlight of the season, packed with roast turkey, savory stuffing, homemade pies and perhaps a cold glass of eggnog. It is also a place where bacteria can linger, turning a holiday gathering into a very different type of party. As holiday menus are planned and grocery lists assembled, Carla Schwan, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension food safety specialist, urges home cooks to remember one key rule. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.

Nestled among cappuccinos and traditional espresso lattes, a unique, golden-hued beverage has grown increasingly popular on cafe menus over the past several years. Advertised as a caffeine-free, healthy coffee alternative, “golden” turmeric milk is a take on haldi doodh — a traditional Indian beverage often used as an at-home cold remedy. Now researchers at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have developed a new method to make a plant-based, instant version of the beverage.

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.