Meat Storage – How Long is Safe?

Freezer Storage Times for – Meat, Poultry, Bacon, etc

How long can you store meats in the freezer before it’s not safe?

Use this chart here.

Category	Food	Refrigerator (40 °F or below)	Freezer (0 °F or below)
Salads	Egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni salads	3 to 5 days	Does not freeze well
Hot dogs	opened package	1 week	1 to 2 months
	unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Luncheon meat	opened package or deli sliced	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
	unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Bacon & Sausage	Bacon	7 days	1 month
	Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork, beef	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months
Hamburger & Other Ground Meats	Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures of them	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork	Steaks	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
	Chops	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
	Roasts	3 to 5 days	4 to 12 months
Fresh Poultry	Chicken or turkey, whole	1 to 2 days	1 year
	Chicken or turkey, pieces	1 to 2 days	9 months
Soups & Stews	Vegetable or meat added	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Leftovers	Cooked meat or poultry	3 to 4 days	2 to 6 months
	Chicken nuggets or patties	3 to 4 days	1 to 3 months
	Pizza	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months

 Until Next Time …

Bob Lee

Did You Know … FTC scamming

Did You Know …

Scam Alert

Scammers are exploiting the FTC’s good name and promising phony sweepstakes prizes. The FTC investigates fraud and provides free information, but it never collects money directly from consumers. FTC staffers don’t have any involvement with this sweepstakes scam, but they do want you to avoid it.

In other words they don’t do shit.

Protect Yourself – Stay Informed.  Don’t fall for the high pressure tactics, sweepstakes prizes, anything that requests you to pay money for winning a trip, prize, etc.  

And to see exactly how messy and confusing the FTC really is to help you – Click Here to Learn More:  Learn how…

Until Next Time …

Bob Lee

Restaurant Jimmy johns Tainted Sprouts – Foodborne Illness

Did You Know … Tainted Sprouts – Foodborne Illness

Ok, now I never ate at a Jimmy John’s restaurant (never even heard of them before) but here’s some news you want to be aware of.

Raw sprouts from the sandwich chain have been linked to an outbreak of foodborne illness — again.

The CDC said Wednesday that:

• 12 cases of E. coli poisoning in five states are linked to raw clover sprouts eaten at Jimmy John’s restaurants.
• This comes a year after 140 salmonella illnesses  were linked to the chain’s suppliers
• This also comes after 2009 salmonella outbreak in several Midwestern states and
• The chain’s suppliers were suspected in an E. coli outbreak inBoulder,Colo.in 2008.

 I just thought the CDC’s info was worthy of note especially with all those food poisoning articles at the end of last year.  Pretty scary shit when you think about it. Well anyway – and if you haven’t done so, as I always recommend, sign-up for the CDC updates, and all the other government agency updates. They really do help with making food choices and food decisions.  And – you can always visit here for what’s going down and how to take care of some of these foodborne illnesses (food-poisoning as I see it).

 As Always, Stay informed, Stay Healthy, and

Until Next Time …

Bob Lee

What to Do …

Salmonella Poisoning

Food Poisoning

 And Visit & Enjoy Some Really Good Friends Here Too …

–        You’ve Been Hooked

–        Erica_B 

–        Nicoleandgwendolyn

–         Vikramroy Blog

–         loneylm

–         diaaaana

How long can the effects of identity theft last? What Can I do?

 How long can the effects of identity theft last?

It’s difficult to predict how long the effects of identity theft may linger. That’s because it depends on many factors including the type of theft, whether the thief sold or passed your information on to other thieves, whether the thief is caught, and problems related to correcting your credit report.

Victims of identity theft should monitor financial records for several months after they discover the crime. Victims should review their credit reports once every three months in the first year of the theft, and once a year thereafter. Stay alert for other signs of identity theft.

Don’t delay in correcting your records and contacting all companies that opened fraudulent accounts.  Make the initial contact by phone, even though you will normally need to follow up in writing.  The longer the inaccurate information goes uncorrected, the longer it will take to resolve the problem.

What can you do to help fight identity theft?

A great deal.

Awareness is an effective weapon against many forms identity theft. Be aware of how information is stolen and what you can do to protect yours, monitor your personal information to uncover any problems quickly, and know what to do when you suspect your identity has been stolen.

Armed with the knowledge of how to protect yourself and take action, you can make identity thieves’ jobs much more difficult. You can also help fight identity theft by educating your friends, family, and members of your community. The FTC has prepared a collection of easy-to-use materials to enable anyone regardless of existing knowledge about identity theft to inform others about this serious crime.

To learn more, click here

Until Next Time …

Bob Lee

What should you do if your identity is stolen?

 What should you do if your identity is stolen?

Filing a police report, checking your credit reports, notifying creditors, and disputing any unauthorized transactions are some of the steps you must take immediately to restore your good name.

• To learn more about these steps and more, visit the DEFEND:  Recover from Identity Theft section. 
• To file a complaint, click here.

 Should you file a police report if your identity is stolen?

A police report that provides specific details of the identity theft is considered an Identity Theft Report, which entitles you to certain legal rights when it is provided to the three major credit reporting agencies or to companies where the thief misused your information. 

An Identity Theft Report can be used to permanently block fraudulent information that results from identity theft, such as accounts or addresses, from appearing on your credit report. It will also make sure these debts do not reappear on your credit reports. Identity Theft Reports can prevent a company from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft, or selling them to others for collection. An Identity Theft Report is also needed to place an extended fraud alert on your credit report.

You may not need an Identity Theft Report if the thief made charges on an existing account and you have been able to work with the company to resolve the dispute.  Where an identity thief has opened new accounts in your name, or where fraudulent charges have been reported to the consumer reporting agencies, you should obtain an Identity Theft Report so that you can take advantage of the protections you are entitled to.

In order for a police report to entitle you to the legal rights mentioned above, it must contain specific details about the identity theft.  You should file an ID Theft Complaint with the FTC and bring your printed ID Theft Complaint with you to the police station when you file your police report.  The printed ID Theft Complaint can be used to support your local police report to ensure that it includes the detail required.

A police report is also needed to get copies of the thief’s application, as well as transaction information from companies that dealt with the thief.  To get this information, you must submit a request in writing, accompanied by the police report, to the address specified by the company for this purpose. 

You can find more information and a model letter here.

Thanks and Credit go to the FTC for providing this info & guidance

As Always, Stay Informed & Until Next Time …

Bob Lee

Did You Know … Commercial Ice Machines

This is rather disturbing.

Commercial Ice Machines in many establishments go uncleaned (such as restaurants, bars, concession stands, cafeterias, and the like). 

Usually the ‘sensor’ to change the filter goes off every 6-months or so, but many establishments don’t pay attention to this since running the establishment itself is so time consuming in itself.

This is pretty disgusting. 

Especially when you consider that there can be algae growth and slime growing in there.

Imagine drinking water that was sitting around in uncleaned algae-ridden sources. 

That’s pretty dirty water in them thar ice-cubes.

I have personally opted for ‘no-ice’ in my drinks for years, but after reading this, I opt for no-ice all the time.

Another nice thing is that newer machines have built-in antimicrobial protection, an anti-microbial stick or pouch will keep older Ice Machines slime and alga free. Replace every 2-3 months.

 As Always, Stay Informed

Until Next Time …

Bob Lee

 To Read more: http://www.foodservice.com

Spread the Word after You Visit this Site – Kids are Heroes too …

Hey Everyone,

 What better way to show team spirit than going to this site and actually seeing how a father and his daughter started a movement that will shape our future  – and it’s building momentum as we speak.  If only I was into Video too, I’d make a video in the hope it would go viral.

Take Action & Visit this Link: http://www.kidsareheroes.org/index.html 

As Always, Stay Informed

Bob Lee

And Visit & Enjoy Some Really Good Friends Here Too …

You’ve Been Hooked

Erica_B 

Nicoleandgwendolyn

Vikramroy Blog

loneylm

diaaaana

http://walloffame.kidsareheroes.org/ 

 

Identity Theft – What do thieves do with a stolen identity?

What do thieves do with a stolen identity?

Once they have your personal information, identity thieves use it in a variety of ways.

Credit card fraud:

• They may open new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the cards and don’t pay the bills, the delinquent accounts appear on your credit report.
• They may change the billing address on your credit card so that you no longer receive bills, and then run up charges on your account. Because your bills are now sent to a different address, it may be some time before you realize there’s a problem.

Phone or utilities fraud:

• They may open a new phone or wireless account in your name, or run up charges on your existing account.
• They may use your name to get utility services like electricity, heating, or cable TV.

Bank/finance fraud:

• They may create counterfeit checks using your name or account number.
• They may open a bank account in your name and write bad checks.
• They may clone your ATM or debit card and make electronic withdrawals your name, draining your accounts.
• They may take out a loan in your name.

Government documents fraud:

• They may get a driver’s license or official ID card issued in your name but with their picture.
• They may use your name and Social Security number to get government benefits.
• They may file a fraudulent tax return using your information.

Other fraud:

• They may get a job using your Social Security number.
• They may rent a house or get medical services using your name.
• They may give your personal information to police during an arrest. If they don’t show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.

More on Identity Theft Next Time …

• As Always, Stay Informed and Be Safe
• Until Next Time…
• Bob Lee

Many Thanks to the FTC for providing the ability to share this info freely. Click Here for FTC Info

Foodborne Illness Again at Restaurant Chain

Did You Know … Tainted Sprouts – Foodborne Illness

Ok, now I never ate at a Jimmy John’s restaurant (never even heard of them before) but here’s some news you want to be aware of.

Raw sprouts from the sandwich chain have been linked to an outbreak of foodborne illness — again.

The CDC said that:

• 12 cases of E. coli poisoning in five states are linked to raw clover sprouts eaten at Jimmy John’s restaurants.
• This comes a year after 140 salmonella illnesses  were linked to the chain’s suppliers
• This also comes after 2009 salmonella outbreak in several Midwestern states and
• The chain’s suppliers were suspected in an E. coli outbreak inBoulder,Colo.in 2008.

 I just thought the CDC’s info was worthy of note especially with all those food poisoning articles at the end of last year.  Pretty scary shit when you think about it. Well anyway – and if you haven’t done so, as I always recommend, sign-up for the CDC updates, and all the other government agency updates. They really do help with making food choices and food decisions.  And – you can always visit here for what’s going down and how to take care of some of these foodborne illnesses (food-poisoning as I see it).

 As Always, Stay informed, Stay Healthy, and

Until Next Time …

Bob Lee

 And Visit & Enjoy Some Really Good Friends Here Too …

•  You’ve Been Hooked
•   Erica_B 
•  Nicoleandgwendolyn
•   Vikramroy Blog
•  loneylm
• diaaaana

Did You Know … School Lunches

Did You Know …School Lunches

School lunches inNorth Carolinahave ignited a national debate.

The controversy came as a North Carolina Grandmothers’ student had her turkey sandwich taken away during a visit by state agents.

And that’s just the START of the Controversy!

After the state agents took her packed turkey sandwich away, she claims the girl’s meal was replaced with fried food.

Imagine that!

A country where obesity has become a near national epidemic.

And the principal at the Elementary School saying that not only was she upset but parents were too when they were told they had to follow different healthier guidelines, where no sweets were allowed.

The good part is, the principal said that as time passed and the new regulations were released, the changes they had made over the past couple of years allowed their school to be ahead of the game.

But – many worry that the government is going too far with mandating and controlling what parents send their kids to school with in their packed lunches!?

These same parents also say that it’s awesome that healthier foods and lunches are finally being integrated into the school system.

 To see a video (hopefully it’s still working) click the link: http://www.wvnstv.com/story/16955167/school-lunch-controversy-ignites-statewide-debate

Credit and Many Thanks goes to WVNSTV.com and the

Reporter Annie Moore for this enlightening story

As Always, Stay Informed and Get Involved

Until Next Time …

Bob Lee

And Visit & Enjoy Some Really Good Friends Here Too …

•  You’ve Been Hooked
•   Erica_B 
• Nicoleandgwendolyn
•  Vikramroy Blog
•   loneylm
•  diaaaana