Campus News

Parents: Don’t bench food safety at your school’s concession stand

Back to school may mean back to sports for children and back to the concession stand for parents. To help enhance the safety of the food sold in concessions stands, Judy Harrison, a UGA Extension specialist in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, recommends preparing a take-along concession stand kit that includes:

• Dishwashing liquid to clean utensils, equipment or even to wash hands when there is no hand soap.

• Paper towels for washing and drying equipment and utensils, cleaning countertops and drying hands. Reused sponges, dishcloths and brushes can harbor and spread bacteria.

• Homemade sanitizing solution (a tablespoon of chlorine bleach per gallon of water) to sanitize countertops and equipment after they have been washed with soap and hot water and rinsed thoroughly.

The sanitizing solution also can be used in a clean dishpan or sink to sanitize items after they are washed and rinsed thoroughly. Place the items in the solution for at least one minute and then allow them to air dry on a clean surface.