Month: December 2019

Clamshells evolved

Thomas Jake Lunsford is credited with inventing the clamshell, although he called it a “Separable Packaging and Display System” when he filed for a patent on September 15, 1976. Clamshells look a bit like their namesake as they are made from two identical plastic “shells” that fit around the product and hinge on one side. When the sides are pressed together, snaps form a seal, some of them harder to unfasten than others.

Lunsford made no mention of using a heat seal on the edges to make clamshells impossible to open without tools. Scissors, even when they aren’t trapped in a clamshell, don’t work well on tough, slippery plastic. And, like boxcutters, they pose some risk of hand injury. Tin snips work better, but there is a tool whose only purpose is to open clamshells.

To help his 90-year-old mother open sealed clamshells, retired dentist Steve Fisher invented the battery-powered Zip-it Opener 10 years ago. It’s very popular with seniors, people with arthritis and others with diminished hand strength, Fisher said in an interview.

Clamshell packaging remains popular with retailers because the product is visible on both sides, it can be hung or freestanding, and it’s harder to shoplift since the package is bigger than the product inside. It’s much lighter than cardboard or other alternatives—saving energy during transport—cheaper to make, and more durable. The food industry accounts for more than 60 percent of all clamshell packaging.

“There’s a huge variety of clamshell and blister packaging, “ says Sara Greasley, who runs a popular blog about packaging and works in the industry.

Blister packs are usually a clear bubble of plastic mounted on a piece of cardboard. Batteries are still sold this way. But the terms are often used interchangeably, so it can be confusing, Greasley said. The type of clamshell packaging used is usually driven by the retailers, particularly volume buyers like the club stores (i.e. Costco) who have specific packaging requirements, she said. For example packaging may have to withstand shaking, crushing, and dropping tests to ensure there’s no damage.

FROM:National Geographic Partners

Frozen Food Storage: Keeping It Safe and Tasty

Got freezer space? We tend to keep all sorts of things in our freezers year after year. It’s time to go through that freezer and dump everything you aren’t going to eat in the next six months … like that trout you caught three years ago, or the loaf of bread you bought at the two for one sale last year (the one that now has ice crystals all over it).

Get beyond the newly packed items in the front of your freezer and there will undoubtedly be some surprises. It might not be pretty! In my case, I found a couple of apparently melted and refrozen syrupy juice bars and an opened bag of frozen peas that had spilled out long ago.

We need all the freezer space we can get because many of us are at the brink of freezer overflow on any day of the week. We’ve got ice packs locked and loaded for the occasional sports injury; frozen vegetables and fruits for when fresh is absent or unavailable; frozen entrees for when dinner or lunch has to “make itself”; and frozen desserts and appetizers for when your kids’ (or your) friends come around unexpectedly.

So what should you throw out? While the FDA notes that freezing can keep food safe almost indefinitely, that doesn’t mean it will still have a good taste and texture.

The Golden Rules of Freezing Meals
To prevent those unwelcome discoveries in the back of your freezer, it helps to know how to freeze foods wisely in the first place. Keep in mind that when you freeze foods, you want to accomplish five things:

Prevent freezer burn.
Prevent moisture loss.
Prevent the transfer of smells to and from other foods.
Use what freezer space you have wisely.
Prevent food poisoning as your food cools.

The key to accomplishing these goals lies in the proper wrapping and storing of your meals. Here are the golden rules for doing so:

Leave as little air as possible in the freezer containers by removing as much air as possible from freezer bags before sealing them and by using freezer safe containers that closely fit the amount of food being frozen.
Wrap meats and baked goods tightly with foil before you place them in freezer bags. Keep in mind that freezing meat in the packaging from the store (wrapped in plastic on Styrofoam trays) isn’t ideal and won’t hold up well to the freezer temperatures. You are usually okay if you use them within a month, however.
To make sure your food freezes as quickly as possible to discourage bacteria growth, use small containers — with a capacity no bigger than 4 quarts. Ideally, the food should be less than 3 inches thick within the container.
Cool your hot foods quickly before freezing them by placing the pan of hot food in a large container filled with ice or ice water, stirring often to keep the cold circulating. If you’re cooling a lot of hot food, like a large saucepan of stew or chili, portion it into smaller, shallow containers.
Label and date freezer bags or containers, even if you think you’ll be using the contents within a week or two.
Place the food items in the coldest part of your freezer, if you can, until they’re completely frozen.
Thawing food at room temperature only works with muffins, breads, and other baked goods. For everything else, thaw in the refrigerator or use the “thaw” setting on your microwave.
Try to use your frozen foods within two to three months.
When freezing dishes containing dairy foods, keep in mind that while milk can be frozen, it might separate a little when thawed. Hard and semi-hard cheeses can be frozen in 8- and 16-ounce blocks that have been wrapped in plastic, then put in freezer bags. While the cheese will still have its characteristic flavor when thawed, it could be a bit crumbly and tends to work best when added to cooked dishes. The cheeses that fare the worst with freezing are cream cheese and cottage cheese. Blue cheeses are most likely to become crumbly.

More than 200 people ill from parasite in Del Monte vegetable tray recall

(CNN)An outbreak of cyclosporiasis has sickened 212 people in four states since May, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Seven of those individuals have been hospitalized.

The outbreak is linked to the vegetable trays with fresh broccoli, cauliflower, celery sticks, carrots and dill dip. A recall of these 6-,12- and 28-ounce trays in clear, plastic clamshell packaging that contain these items was issued on June 15. The trays have a “Best if used by” date of June 17, 2018 and were sold at Kwik Trip, Kwik Star, Demond’s, Sentry, Potash, Meehan’s, Country Market, FoodMax Supermarket, and Peapod stores in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin have all reported illnesses. “The two cases from Michigan reportedly purchased the vegetable tray in Wisconsin and therefore Michigan is not impacted from this outbreak,” a statement from the US Food and Drug Administration said.

Separately, Texas health officials are investigating 56 reported cases of cyclospora infection since the beginning of May.

“DSHS [Department of State Health Services] is working with local health departments around the state and health departments in other states seeing an outbreak to gather information about the cases and determine whether there is a common source for the infections.” the agency said in a statement.

Health care providers have been asked to test any patients with diarrhea that lasts more than a few days or those patients with diarrhea who are also experiencing fatigue and loss of appetite. “Health care providers should promptly report cases so that public health can investigate them and attempt to determine the source in order to head off future cases,” the agency said and requested that individuals with symptoms should seek medical attention.

Cyclospora typically increases during warm summer months.

“Avoiding food or water that may have been contaminated with feces is the best way to prevent cyclosporiasis,” the CDC advises consumers. With that in mind, the agency recommends washing hands, counter tops, dishes and kitchen utensils with hot soap and water. Washing fruits and vegetables under running water before eating and cooking them is also recommended, as is using a brush. While it may be difficult to wash off the microscopic parasite, the heat from cooking does kill it.

By Debra Goldschmidt, CNN
July 7, 2018