Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Avoid the "Danger Zone" this Summer

 
With the summer right around the corner, families across the country will take out their grills and start spending more time in the great outdoors.  We are urging everyone to remember the four simple steps to food safety - Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill - and to steer clear of the ‘Danger Zone’ when grilling this summer.It is important to remember that bacteria grow faster in the same warm temperatures, so extra care should be taken to make sure perishable food doesn’t spend too long in the Danger Zone. That is temperatures between 40 and 140 ˚F when perishable food spoils rapidly. Foods that should be served hot or cold should not spend more than one hour in the Danger Zone when temperatures are above 90 ˚F, and two hours when temperatures are below 90 ˚F.

Resources help new military moms gain resiliency against post-partum depression

New moms have a lot going on. Dramatic changes in daily schedules that cut into sleep, learning to meet the needs of a new baby, as well as body and hormonal changes, can wreak havoc with emotions after a baby is born. All of these factors can contribute to post-partum blues, commonly experienced by new mothers, where feelings of sadness and tears come unexpectedly. http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/05/23/Resources-help-new-military-moms-gainresiliency-against-post-partum-depression

Consultants earn $20K an hour to help employers engage millennials

Companies such as Coca-Cola, Oracle and Goldman Sachs pay "millennial experts" up to $20,000 per hour to consult on how to keep millennial workers engaged and happy. US companies spent as much as $70 million last year to learn more about millennial employees, according to Source Global Research. Fortune (5/18), - http://fortune.com/2016/05/18/millennial-experts/

Packaging improvements help keep detergent packets away from children

Packaging safety measures for laundry packets -- such as a taste deterrent and increased pressure resistance -- can prevent ingestion by children. This piece notes that Procter & Gamble has made several such packaging changes, increased the security of the secondary package closure and made the packets less visible. This year, the company redesigned its flexible pouch multipack option adding an updated zipper that also works as a child-resistant reseal. Packaging Digest - http://www.packagingdigest.com/product-safety/product-in-package-safetyshareresponsibly1505

Financial-literacy event simulates adult living Money

Students participating in a recent financial-literacy event took part in activities designed to simulate one month of independent adult living. Activities included budgeting for food, clothing and housing. - http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/05/students_learn_to_budget_value.html

More than 1M young children serve as family caregivers

Over 1 million children in the US are balancing schoolwork with roles as family caregivers, according to the American Psychological Association. The American Association of Caregiving Youth was created to help identify and support such students. The New York Times - http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/05/23/supporting-children-whoserve-as-caregivers/