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Dr. Donald Schaffner InterviewWMBC, 3/27/2020How to best protect yourself and your family during this outbreak. WMBC speaks with?Dr. Donald Schaffner.Doctors say it's not a good idea to wash fruits and vegetables with soap and water -- and here's how to deal with groceries during COVID-19The Blaze, 3/31/2020Donald Schaffner, a professor at?Rutgers University, echoed Chapman's sentiments about washing hands after returning from the grocery store. "[I]f you're still feeling worried after you put all your groceries away, wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer," he said. Schaffner also said that if COVID-19 is on the food, "it's not going to make you sick from eating that food" because coronavirus reportedly dies in stomach acid.Stories from Extension: fruit, vegetables, and hope: a farmers market storyMorning Ag Clips, 3/31/2020Maria was stuck, looking at the near-empty refrigerator when Rosa burst through their apartment door, her dark pigtails swinging and her large, brown eyes brightening upon seeing Maria. "Mama!" she exclaimed, "today we made VEGGIE friends!" Written by?Lauren Errickson, Sr. Program Administrator,?New Brunswick Community Farmers MarketHand-Washing Technique Is Surprisingly ControversialFiveThirtyEight - ABC News, 3/31/2020Don Schaffner?wants you to understand that your hands are never going to be clean. He should know - over the past 20 years, he has published multiple research papers investigating the minutia of hand-washing. (Work that is extremely relevant to the public interest all of a sudden.) And those decades of work have taught him that there are just too many things living on our hands to wash all of them off. In fact, he says, killing all the microbes on your hands has never even been the point of hand-washing. The point is to get as big a reduction in microbes as possible, while balancing that effort with the demands of real life.You Don't Need To Leave Your Groceries In The Garage For 3 DaysWisconsin Public Radio, 4/1/2020There are no known cases of the virus spread through food or by touching food packaging, said?Donald Schaffner, a professor of food science at?Rutgers University?in New Jersey. People have taken to social media to warn of tainted packaging, offering unscientific solutions such as keeping your groceries in your garage for three days or washing your produce with soap. Don't do that, Schaffner said. Certainly, there is a risk of getting sick by going to the grocery store. But it comes from being around other people.How to grocery shop safely during COVID-19 outbreakWTSP 10 News, 4/1/2020There have been some videos and articles floating around with ways to stay safe, including washing your produce with soap and water. But, putting soap on your groceries is going to do more harm than good. "Soap is designed for use on hands and it's designed for use on dishes. It's not designed for use on fresh produce," explained?Don Schaffner, a professor of food microbiology at?Rutgers. "In fact, if you ingest high levels of soap, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea and nausea. Which are three things you definitely don't want to be experiencing now." COVID-19 should not have you worried about bringing food or packages home because the greatest risk of getting it is still from human to human transmission.What a Food Microbiologist Wants You to Know About COVID-19Modern Farmer, 4/1/2020Food microbiologist?Donald Schaffner?hasn't been shy about trying to debunk some of the myths and misinformation spreading on the internet about food and COVID-19. He spoke with Modern Farmer about best practices when it comes to buying, washing and eating food during the pandemic... "Before you get to the grocery store, come with a list and a plan for getting through the store as quickly and as efficiently as possible. I believe that the single biggest risk from the grocery store is not from the food but from the people. Either there is somebody symptomatic who shouldn't be there or somebody who is presymptomatic and they don't know that they're sick."Minimizing risk & maintaining sanity while grocery shopping amid COVID-19Eat or Toss, 4/1/2020The virus that causes COVID-19 is known to transmit from person to person, with no evidence thus far of spread via food or food packaging. Still, to reduce your, risk health authorities urge frequent hand washing and care around potentially contaminated surfaces. Suddenly grocery shopping feels like a brush with death... More than anything, contact with other people increases your risk. Here's how?Rutgers University?food microbiologist?Don Schaffner?put it: "Mostly I'm worried about what's going to happen to me 5 to 14 days after I went to the grocery store," he said. "It's not the milk carton. It's that person I was standing next to that wouldn't move out of the way when I went to grab the milk. That's where my risk was."Safe Grocery Shopping During The PandemicWisconsin Public Radio, 4/1/2020Trips to the grocery store — one of the last remaining places where people are allowed to gather during the pandemic — have become anxiety-ridden ventures for some. We talk with expert?Donald W. Schaffner?on food safety about how to shop smart.Grocery shopping safety tips during coronavirus pandemicABC 10 News San Diego, 4/1/2020Dr.?Don Schaffner, professor of food microbiology at?Rutgers University, said staying safe is all about washing your hands and staying away from others. His first tip, "make a list, because what you want to do is you want to minimize the amount of time you're in the grocery store," he said. Once you get to the store, he advises grabbing a clean cart or wiping one down yourself. "My local grocery store has hand sanitizer at the entrance and I am definitely going to use that hand sanitizer, not to protect me, but to protect other people in the grocery store on the off chance I am bringing COVID-19 with me into the grocery store," Dr. Schaffner said.Coronavirus Impact: Should the general public wear masks?ABC 10 News San Diego, 4/1/2020"Something's better than nothing," said Dr.?Don Schaffner, a Professor of food microbiology at?Rutgers University. "If we give somebody a recommendation for something that doesn't work, that's one thing. But we don't want give somebody a recommendation that makes somebody at higher risk."Stuck at home? Help the environment from your yardAsbury Park Press, 4/2/2020Bruce Crawford, director of?Rutgers Gardens, said considerations like sun, soil quality, soil acidity and drainage are all important factors to consider when picking plants for a yard. Crawford recommends plants like Doll's eyes, also known as white baneberry, in northern New Jersey's richer soil, because their white berries and magenta stems make an attractive visual in autumn. The plants are also naturally deer resistant, he said.?The Rutgers Cooperative Extension county offices are a great resource for homeowners who want to plant native vegetation customized to their region of New Jersey, Crawford said.Do you need to wash your groceries? And other advice for shopping safelyThe Guardian, 4/2/2020Donald W Schaffner, a food microbiologist and professor at?Rutgers University, has firmly pushed back on viral advice for people to disinfect food packaging. "Right now there's no evidence that [the virus is] spread through food. There's no evidence that it's spread through food packaging. That doesn't mean that we might not learn new evidence tomorrow that would change our thoughts on that, but right now that's what we believe," Schaffner said.How to protect yourself from coronavirus: 10 tips beyond CDC , 4/2/2020Be a cautious shopper. If you are an older adult or have an underlying medical condition that makes you more vulnerable to the coronavirus, consider using a shopping service or asking a friend, family member or neighbor to go shopping in your place. That's the recommendation of?Donald W. Schaffner, an extension specialist in food science and distinguished professor in the Department of Food Science in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. If you do have to personally go to a supermarket or grocery store, make sure you pick a cart that has been sanitized by a worker, and bring sanitizer for yourself to use, Schaffner adds.How did covid-19 begin? Its initial origin story is shaky.The Washington Post, 4/2/2020Richard Ebright, a Rutgers microbiologist and biosafety expert, told me in an email that "the first human infection could have occurred as a natural accident," with the virus passing from bat to human, possibly through another animal. But Ebright cautioned that it "also could have occurred as a laboratory accident, with, for example, an accidental infection of a laboratory worker." He noted that bat coronaviruses were studied in Wuhan at Biosafety Level 2, "which provides only minimal protection," compared with the top BSL-4.Coronavirus tips: How to handle groceries during the pandemicMy Central Jersey, 4/2/2020A Rutgers University professor shared how to handle groceries safely at home during the coronavirus pandemic. If concerned about the outside of food packages being contaminated, wash or sanitize hands before eating the contents, suggested?Donald W. Schaffner, a distinguished professor in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences' Department of Food Science.?Coronavirus Transmission: Should You Disinfect Groceries To Stay Safe?Medical Daily, 4/2/2020Since disinfection has been proven to curb the spread of the virus, many are wondering if disinfecting groceries could help prevent the transmission of COVID-19...?Donald Schaffner, Ph.D., a professor in the department of food science at?Rutgers University?in New Brunswick, New Jersey, also relayed the same sentiment on why people should not be afraid of getting infected of the disease from groceries and take-out food. "The science around coronavirus continues to unfold, but there is currently no evidence that the disease is transmitted by food," Schaffner said of the respiratory virus.Managing food safety in the time of COVID-19Food Safety News, 4/3/2020The current challenges to ensuring the health and safety of employees and customers have never been more difficult. There are likely unintended positive food safety impacts that are being seen across the food system. We guess that employee handwashing practices are likely at an all-time high with all the added focus. Extra attention to proper chemical use to clean, sanitize and disinfect both food and non-food contact surfaces, especially high-touch surfaces, is almost certainly happening. By?Donald Schaffner, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Extension Specialist in Food Science Rutgers University.NOT REAL NEWS: Debunking false coronavirus claims, phony remediesFox6Now; ABC13, 4/3/2020CLAIM: Eating alkaline foods will stave off the novel coronavirus, which has a pH level of 5.5 to 8.5. THE FACTS: "These pH values for these foods are completely wrong,"?Donald Schaffner, extension specialist in food science at?Rutgers University, told the AP. "The human body is designed to be really good at maintaining its pH."” Schaffner said people should eat those foods if they want, but "the best way to keep from getting a virus is to stay away from people."Doomtree's Sims designs safe takeout window for Muddy Waters, local restaurantsCityPages, 4/3/2020Per?Donald Schaffner, professor of food science at?Rutgers University: First it's important to realize that this is a respiratory illness as far as we know. The biggest risk is being around sick people who are shedding the virus when they sneeze or cough. Even if the virus did get onto food, we're going to put that food in our mouth and swallow it so the virus will end up in our stomach. Our stomachs have a low pH which would likely in activate the virus.Ordering Takeout? Here's What To Know About Food DeliveryWBUR; NPR Illinois, 4/3/2020Is it safe to have food delivered to your house? Yes, says?Don Schaffner, a professor of food science at Rutgers University. "In fact, it might even be safer to order takeout than to go to the restaurant and pick it up," he says, because it limits the contact you have with other people thus reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19.Managing food safety in the time of COVID-19Barfblog, 4/3/2020The current challenges to ensuring the health and safety of employees and customers has never been more difficult. There are likely unintended positive food safety impacts that are being seen across the food system. We guess that employee handwashing practices are likely at an all time high with all the added focus. Extra attention to proper chemical use to clean, sanitize and disinfect both food and non-food contact surfaces, especially high-touch surfaces, is almost certainly happening.?Don Schaffner,?Professor, Extension Specialist,?RutgersIt's wartime and a good time for a Victory Garden | , 4/3/2020For parents and children adjusting to remote schooling – and more time at home this spring - because of the COVID-19 crisis, gardening is a hands-on activity that can enhance learning, while helping to rebuild a sense of security. By?Michelle Infante-Casella, an agricultural agent and professor at Rutgers Cooperative Extension in Gloucester County. She is also the State Coordinator for the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.NOT REAL NEWS: False Coronavirus Claims and Phony RemediesThe New York Times, 4/3/2020A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: CLAIM: ...Eating alkaline foods will stave off the novel coronavirus, which has a pH level of 5.5 to 8.5..."These pH values for these foods are completely wrong,"?Donald Schaffner, extension specialist in food science at?Rutgers University, told the AP. “The human body is designed to be really good at maintaining its pH." Schaffner said people should eat those foods if they want, but "the best way to keep from getting a virus is to stay away from people."Coronavirus tips: How to handle groceries during the pandemicMyCentralJersey, 4/4/2020If concerned about the outside of food packages being contaminated, wash or sanitize hands before eating the contents, suggested?Donald W. Schaffner, a distinguished professor in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences'?Department of Food Science. "And guess what?" Schaffner said in a statement. "Washing your hands before you eat is a best practice even when we're not in a pandemic. "Soap should absolutely not be used to wash food," he continued. "It's not designed for that. Soap can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea if ingested."Here's the best way to wash your hands effectively, an expert explainsWUSA9, 4/5/2020"The amount of time you spend washing your hands is important, but the other thing to realize is technique matters, too," Dr.?Donald Schaffner?said. Shaffner is a professor of food microbiology at?Rutgers University. He's also a hand-washing expert, having studied and published research papers on the topic over the last 20 years.Farms are considered essential during virus outbreakMorning Ag Clips, 4/5/2020Wes Kline?and I have been fielding questions about whether farms will be closed down. Our answer is, "NO!" for the following reasons. Agricultural is considered an essential industry by the state and federal governments. Agricultural workers are also considered essential. Your workers should not have an issue going to work. What you need to do is train your workers on proper hand washing and try to give as much space between workers as possible. Remember 6 ft between individuals should be maintained where practical."America Warned to Brace for '9/11'-Like Attack from Covid-19, as Toll RisesThe Street, 4/5/2020Despite how widespread the outbreak here has become, it's still possible to make progress in containing the outbreak, said one expert, Prof.?Richard H. Ebright, the laboratory director at the?Waksman Institute of Microbiology?and a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers University, in an email to TheStreet. Ebright -- a highly accomplished scientist who was elected as an Infectious Diseases Society of America fellow in 2011 -- has been harshly critical of the administration's response to the pandemic, but still sees hope for handling the outbreak.9 Things We Can Do to Stay Safe While at the Grocery StoreThe Kitchn, 4/5/2020While a sizable grocery haul would be pretty hard to maneuver without the use of a cart or basket, we understand why you might be hesitant to touch something that countless people (of unknown infection status) have handled before you. Disinfecting high-touch areas like cart and basket handles is best practice and might even help bring you some peace of mind, according to Dr.?Donald Schaffner, a Food Microbiologist at?Rutgers University?who specializes in quantitative microbial risk assessment, predictive food microbiology, hand-washing, and cross-contamination.UK Fears Coronavirus Might Have Actually Been Leaked From a China LabThe Science Times, 4/6/2020The Daily Mail revealed on Sunday that British ministers fear that a leak from a Chinese laboratory might have caused the coronavirus pandemic. While evidence suggests COVID-19 was not created in one of the laboratories in Wuhan, the presence of their laboratories means that they could easily have been, said Professor?Richard Ebright, a biosecurity expert from Rutgers University's?Waksman Institute of Microbiology. Professor Ebright also revealed that scientists at both the Chinese laboratories -the Centre for Disease Control- who studied the viruses are employing only 'level 2' security rather than the recommended level 4.?Cold War nuclear bomb tests reveal accurate age of whale sharksOceanographic, 4/6/2020Atomic bomb tests conducted during the Cold War have helped scientists accurately determine the age of whale sharks for the first time. These findings will help with the conservation of the species, which is currently classified as endangered. A team of researchers led by?Joyce Ong?of Rutgers University, hoped to find some answers within the radioactive legacy of the Cold War's nuclear arms race.How stable is deep ocean circulation in warmer climate?Morning Ag Clips, 4/6/2020A Rutgers coauthored study suggests that short-term disruptions of deep ocean circulation occurred during warm interglacial periods in the last 450,000 years, and may happen again... "These findings suggest that our climate system, which depends greatly on deep ocean circulation, is critically poised near a tipping point for abrupt disruptions," said coauthor?Yair Rosenthal, a distinguished professor in the?Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences?and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "Although the disruptions in circulation and possible coolings may be relatively short-lived - lasting maybe a century or more - the consequences might be large."Coronavirus: Are reusable shopping bags safe to use in supermarkets?Independent, 4/6/2020Should you clean your reusable bags? Dr?Donald Schaffner, is a microbiologist and expert on food safety from?Rutgers University, agrees, adding that anyone who is concerned could also consider storing their grocery bags in their car and washing them on a regular basis. "Many people use reusable bags as a responsible choice. We do this in my family as well," he said. "If you're concerned that your bags might have coronavirus on them, you can wash them. You should also wash your hands after you have finished putting all your groceries away. This was also good advice even before pandemic."Mission Possible: Tips for Safe Grocery Shopping During the PandemicUS News and World Report, 4/6/2020The first thing to consider is whether you should go to the store at all, said?Donald Schaffner. He's a professor in the department of food science in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at?Rutgers University?in New Brunswick, N.J... "For people going to grocery stores, many are offering hand sanitizers at the entrance and are offering to sanitize grocery carts," Schaffner said. "I think these are two great ideas, and customers should take advantage of both of them." Schaffner said it's important to make a list so you can move through the store quickly. While you shop, do your best to keep six feet away from other people. If hand sanitizer is available, use it when you leave the store and again after you put your items in the car.Coronavirus tips by Donald W.Schaffner Professor of Biological ScienceMoose Gazette, 4/6/2020Donald W. Schaffner, a distinguished professor in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences?Department of Food Science?had said that the outside food packages often come with the fear of contamination and thus, it is essential to ensure that you are washing and sanitizing your hands at frequent intervals. He also added that this is something that you should be doing as a habit too, not just should you follow it during the pandemic but you should do it on a regular basis.How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables to Protect Against CoronavirusMen's Health, 4/6/2020Start with clean hands and surfaces. Rinsing your produce is pointless if your hands, utensils, or cutting boards are dirty... Be sure to dry hands using a clean towel, says?Donald Schaffner, Ph.D., a food safety expert at?Rutgers University. The ick factor of your towel depends on a variety of factors. For example, a cloth that does double duty to dry counters is likely dirtier than one dedicated to clean hands. And you'll want to use paper towels to wipe hands after handling meat, he says. Schaffner suggests changing cloth towels every two to three days.Atomic Bomb Tests Reveal Whale Shark's True AgeTechnology Networks, 4/7/2020Researchers led by?Joyce Ong?from?Rutgers University?in New Jersey, USA, Steven Campana from the University of Iceland, and Mark Meekan from the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Perth, Western Australia, turned to the radioactive legacy of the Cold War's nuclear arms race. Using bomb radiocarbon data prepared by Steven Campana, Ong, Meekan, and colleagues set about testing the carbon-14 levels in the growth rings of two long-dead whale sharks stored in Pakistan and Taiwan. Measuring the radioisotope levels in successive growth rings allowed a clear determination of how often they were created - and thus the age of the animal.We invite you to send an email to?InTheNews@aesop.rutgers.edu?alerting us when you are quoted in a story or if your program is mentioned in the news. Please send links of news,?as it happens, as some media outlets do not retain online links beyond a week.Visit the newly redesigned SEBS and NJAES Newsroom at?sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu. ................
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