One topic that has been discussed in a few of the community spaces I am a part of is how to navigate questions of food safety and food accessibility in the coming months and years.

I cannot address all of the changes occurring at the international level, but as far as the United States is concerned… there’s a lot to be validly concerned about.

There are several agencies whose work impacts the risks to the public posed by food-borne threats to health. The USDA in particular is of note, as it oversees the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are also key players.

And no: the future of those agencies isn’t looking too bright.

Without getting in the weeds with a blow-by-blow, the tl;dr thesis point that is apparent from:

Trump’s nominees for positions of influence within the agencies most responsible for food safety oversight in the United States…
as well as the slew of executive orders he is signing without any concern for feasibility or implication,…
not to mention the unforeseeable and foreseeable impact of aggressive tariffs on food access,…
and of course the big ol’ middle finger being directed at folks who are navigating poverty, white supremacy, and/or disability in a countless number of ways…

can be summed up as:

Cutting costs, maximizing profits, and proving loyalty to the powers-that-be are more important than saving lives or preserving the ecosystem.

Those who suffer or die as a result of these cost-cutting, profit-maximizing measures are acceptable casualties in the name of preserving capitalism, white supremacy, and the myth of U.S. exceptionalism.

This doesn’t bode well for the maintenance of ongoing food safety practices and oversight in the coming months and years.

As a result, it makes good sense to not only remind ourselves of some of the basics of food safety, but also to learn about additional approaches to ascertaining food safety that have been developed through the years and generations that have preceded us.

I separated the ideas into three basic areas for consideration for increasing accessibility of safe food options: sourcing, preserving, and preparing.

Some of the ideas that I will share below are super basic; others require some skill, time, and/or effort.

Some will be accessible to some folks, but not to others.

Almost all of them have room for nuance and personalization to a given person’s holistic circumstances and needs; only very few (e.g., safe temperatures for food storage and preparation) are concrete rules.

I am also certain there are valuable tips, insights, and practices that I am omitting and/or forgetting: please don’t consider this list all-encompassing!

So, yeah: don’t take this as a prescriptive to-do list. Rather, consider it an invitation to brainstorm possible entry points to taking life-affirming care of yourself, your families, and your communities.

sourcing

Shopping Frequency

Many people—myself included—tend to think about buying in bulk as a key aspect of food access. And, in fact, it can be a big component of many people’s food security planning! However, there is nuance here that is important to consider.

For example, buying bulk amounts of staples and frequently-used items makes sense if:

they will be stored in a way that maximizes that item’s shelf life and minimizes access to things like moisture and critters.
you are aware of appropriate food preservation techniques for the items, and are able and willing to preserve items in a timely manner relative to the item’s expected shelf life.
they are items that you will actually use.
the price savings make sense relative to any time, energy, and storage needs that having bulk quantities will require of you.

A combination of bulk shopping and effort put toward food preservation can be helpful at minimizing the frequency of shopping trips, which can be really beneficial for some folks.

This can be particularly true for people who navigate transportation-related challenges; accessibility and disability-related needs; the need and desire to minimize their risk of encounters with bigots, assholes, and/or ICE; and/or priorities relative to minimizing exposures to viruses and other transmittable sources of sickness.

I also think of the long history of many of my ancestors who lived in very rural agrarian areas: trips to town were whole planned events that rarely took place more frequently than monthly, and often less frequently than that.

The lists of what to purchase were simple and the quantities were set. Furthermore, the preservation and storage of these items was a process that was honed and honored: the tasks involved were known and planned for in the days following the shopping (and, of course, throughout the growing season).

However, there is nuance here, and there are additional variables related to optimal food shopping frequency as it pertains to food safety and access.

In fact, there are many good arguments to be made for creating space in one’s life for doing food-related shopping more frequently.

For example: one of the most thought-provoking folks I know, Vikki Dove, has pointed that it is a very North American (and particularly U.S.) grocery shopping pattern for folks to go to the store a lot less frequently, buy more in bulk,… and then create a whole lot more food waste.

In this pattern, in which bulk buying is not partnered with the food preservation and storage practices that are necessary for extending the freshness and usability of items, the supposed cost savings of bulk buying are erased through massive amounts of food spoilage.

This does not improve either food safety or access, fyi.

In contrast, shopping more frequently (daily or every other day) for produce, baked goods, and animal products is a norm in many communities and locations, past and present.

In this model, dry goods are really the only things that need to be purchased in bulk. Through this approach, food waste is minimized and food safety maximized because items are only acquired on an as-needed basis, and the most perishable items are used within a day or two of purchase.

As an added benefit, relationships can be built with the folks from whom you are getting your food (see the next section, “Shopping Location”), which can have a multitude of benefits.

So what is the best shopping frequency?

Listen: you know your life better than anyone, and are better equipped than I or anyone else is at figuring out what makes the most sense for your time, energy, and food access needs.

What is vital, in relation to food safety considerations, is that your purchasing frequency and bulk purchasing decisions are in balance with your willingness and energy (or lack thereof) to dedicate to food preservation and storage.

Shopping location

I suspect that it is very likely to inevitable that oversights related to what pesticides and herbicides are allowed to be used agriculturally (and in what manner and in what amounts) are about to be a thing of the past—if not in law, then in practice.

I consider this yet one more benefit to knowing the folks who are involved in the growing, harvesting, and/or preparing of your foods as closely as possible: you are able to ask questions about how they tend to the plants, soil, and ingredients… and to trust the answers, too.

If some of these folks are you, your family, your friends, your comrades, and your community members, so much the better!

If that is not possible, finding ways to get more of your food from farmer’s markets; local bakers, farmers, and gardeners; and locally owned and operated businesses (especially those that are owned by folks who are Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ2S+, and/or immigrants) will be of benefit to you in so many ways.

(Disclaimer: as a subsistence gardener who puts a LOT of my everyday efforts towards food justice, food access, and community resilience, I have a vested interest in these ideas! Yes, this involves some level of bias, but it also includes a lot of direct lived experience.)

Food has always, in all times and places, been interwoven with community building. I proactively and enthusiastically encourage you to reconnect with that deep and abiding history.

Preserving

So, let’s say you want to explore improving your approach to food preservation, and you want to do it with food safety in mind.

There are many entry points, and a detailed description of any of them is beyond the scope of this particular blog post. However, here is a rundown of a few options that you can learn about and do at home to safely increase the shelf life of your food.

Canning

Canning is a method of preserving food in sealed, airtight containers through the use of water, heat, and (in some cases) pressure to ensure that the potentially harmful pathogens are destroyed.

There are two main methods of canning. Water bath canning does not require specialized equipment (other than appropriate jars and lids and a big enough pot) and is able to safely preserve acidic foods with a pH of 4.6 or below.

Pressure canning requires a special pressure canner that enables temperatures to reach significantly higher than is possible in a water bath canner. This is the only safe way to can items with pHs of 4.7 or higher.

And yes: there are some items that are not safe to can in at-home equipment, even with a pressure canner. Please only use recipes from trusted, vetted sources!

Note: To learn more about safe canning methods, you can access the full pdf of the 2010 Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving through archive.org, https://ia802906.us.archive.org/5/items/ball-blue-book-guide-to-preserving-2010/ball-blue-book-guide-to-preserving-2010.pdf.

Fermentation

Fermentation is such a profoundly fascinating topic to me!

Describing this incredible, complex process succinctly is quite the task, but Sandor Katz does a good job: he has written that fermentation is “the transformative action of microorganisms.”

(Side note: Katz undoubtedly knows a lot about fermentation, and his books have some jewels of information and inspiration. Unfortunately, the jewels exist alongside some really gross anti-Autistic, ableist, and sizeist assertions, too, so I cannot unequivocally recommend his books. If you choose to read them, know they come with content warnings!!)

While there is a range of different fermentation methods (e.g., lactic acid, alcohol, acetic acid, and alkaline fermentations), one thing that they all share is that they create environments in which the only microorganisms that can survive and flourish are ones that are safe, beneficial to our health, and (added bonus!) super tasty.

Yes, including alcohol fermentation, regardless of what teetotalers may tell you.

In fact, the processes of infusing water and/or juices with herbs, fruits, tea, vegetables, yeasts, sugars, and/or grains and then allowing the resulting concoction to ferment doesn’t just turn water into wine, or beer, or mead, or kvass, or kombucha, etc.

Fermentation has, throughout history and in so many locations, enabled entire communities to access potable beverages in the absence of consistent sources of safe drinking water. These beverages are also frequently nutrient rich, thereby enabling folks to sustain themselves and their health during times when sources of fresh produce are limited.

Again, the breadth and depth of information about fermenting foods and beverages is beyond the scope of this blog post, but I highly recommend that folks learn more and incorporate fermentation into their food preservation routine!

One book that I love is Our Fermented Lives: How Fermented Foods Have Shaped Cultures and Communities by Julia Skinner. I guarantee that, whatever your ancestral and cultural backgrounds are, there are fermented foods and beverages that have been interwoven with your ancestral history, rituals, and resilience: it is a fascinating topic to delve into!

pickling

Pickling is a food preservation technique that utilizes vinegar to extend the shelf life of the pickled items and to prevent the growth of any potentially harmful microorganisms.

Side note: Oftentimes, people refer to vegetables that have been fermented as pickles, leading to some confusion about the difference between the two.

In day-to-day conversations, this may be too nit-picky, but in conversations about food preservation techniques, it is worth noting knowing that there is a difference between fermented vegetables (which are preserved in salt or a salt brine, are not high-temperature canned, and are great sources of health-giving microbes) and pickled vegetables (which are preserved in vinegar, may or may not be high-temperature canned, and—if canned—will not have the same microbiome-boosting microbes that fermented foods do).

Both have advantages, and I use both methods frequently… but they aren’t the same!

Because of their low pH/high acidity, pickled items are typically safe to can in a water bath canner (use directions from a trusted source, such as the aforementioned Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving). These items can then remain shelf-stable for years.

dehydration (salt, sugar, air, temperature)

Many foods can have their shelf life significantly extended through dehydration: the minimized presence of water within the food items reduces the likelihood of pathogenic bacteria being able to take hold.

Oftentimes, this process is expedited and assisted through the addition of salt or sugar (both of which can assist with food preservation), air circulation, and/or the addition of either heat or cold (e.g., freeze drying).

Side note: Dehydrating herbs in salt is easy, and is a great way to minimize food waste while making sure you’ll have the flavor of fresh herbs all year round. Once the herbs are fully salt cured/dehydrated, I pulse them a bit in my food processor to break up any clumps that have formed, store the resulting seasoning salt in a jar, and use it in place of plain salt in recipes.

Do note that not all foods are equally well suited to dehydration, and that time-tested techniques need to be used if you want the items to be shelf stable at room temperature.

Images: turning stale bread into breadcrumbs by blending them into small pieces and then thoroughly dehydrating them in a low-temp oven is a great way to safely minimize food waste. Be sure to store in an airtight container! The bread crumbs can now be used to thicken sauces, top casseroles, bread items for pan frying, etc.

vacuum storage

Another point that has been made by the aforementioned Vikki Dove is that many of the items purchased from grocery stores are packaged in such a way that their shelf life is relatively stable… until they are opened, at which point their life span is immediately reduced.

One main reason for this is the exposure to airflow that happens once packaging is opened.

Therefore, having an option for vacuum sealing items is a great way to maintain the usable shelf life for items that you purchase in bulk (e.g., resealing them into smaller packages that match the amount you will use at once) and for resealing packaged food items once you have opened them.

Many vacuum sealers that are available for purchase also come with an attachment that enables you to vacuum seal dry goods within mason jars: this is a great option for people who want to buy flour, beans, rice, and other dry goods in bulk, but who don’t use them quickly enough to simply store them in an opened container at room temperature.

temperature

And, of course, there’s the matter of temperature.

Many perishable food items can have their shelf life significantly extended through refrigeration or freezing.

(If they are vacuum sealed as well, so much the better!)

The recommended temperature range for safe food storage in freezers is 0°F (-18°C) or lower, while the recommended temperature range for safe food storage in the refrigerator is 33-40°F (0.5-4°C). Having thermometers in your fridge and freezer isn’t a bad idea!!

The obvious shortcoming to relying solely on temperature control for food preservation and safety is the ongoing necessity of electricity (unless you happen to have a root cellar or ice box).

I highly recommend, in addition to the food kept in your fridge and freezer, that you have a few days’ worth of food that is preserved and packaged in such a way that it is shelf-stable at room temperature, just in case of an extended loss of power.

And also: An obvious advantage of freezing and refrigeration is they tend to be fairly low-labor relative to some of the other options for food preservation. Keeping ingredients and leftovers in the refrigerator and freezer instead of leaving them out at room temperature is one of the simplest things you can do to extend the period of time when your food can be safely consumed.

preparing

Cleaning

Know how to appropriately clean the ingredients that you use.

If you aren’t sure if a given item should be washed before using, look up what the food safety recommendations are from a trustworthy source.

For example, while many omnivores are in the practice of washing their meat, a significant amount of data exists that shows that washing meat reduces overall food safety, as it encourages the growth of bacteria and increases the likelihood that this bacteria will be spread to other surfaces in your kitchen.

However, produce items and many staples (e.g., rice and legumes) for sure need to be washed before they are cooked and eaten.

(And, of course, kitchen surfaces, cooking implements, and utensils need to be washed and sanitized appropriately!)

Have and use a food-safe cleanser!

One that I have recently learned about through comrades is Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl), which is food safe even without rinsing at concentrations up to 60 ppm (parts per million) (https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-decisions/environmental-decision-memo-food-contact-notification-no-1811), and can be made at home with the right equipment.

cooking temperature

Keep in mind that the temperature “danger zone” for food is between 40°F to 140°F (4°C to 60°C): this is the temperature range at which pathogenic microbes flourish and thrive.

Look up the recommended internal temperatures for the items you cook, and make use of a kitchen thermometer to make sure you reach those temperatures. This is particularly true for baked goods and any recipes that use flesh foods, dairy, and/or eggs.

Ultimately, knowing about food safety and food preservation is increasingly vital.

No one is expected to incorporate every last option listed in this post into their day-to-day life.

However, finding the entry points to the little changes that feel accessible to you now is an excellent start.

And then gradually, as time and interest allows, building up your knowledge about additional options and opportunities can add to your toolkit of personal survival and community resilience.

Because who keeps us safe?

We keep us safe.

Source for cover image of this post shown on the Blog page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cidse/, https://www.cidse.org/.