Do I need to store my food in the garage or wipe my groceries with a disinfectant when I get them home from the grocery store to keep safe from coronavirus?
While some people choose to wipe their groceries down with a disinfectant cloth when bringing them home from the grocery store as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, that is not a step that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said is a requirement. Nor does the CDC recommend that consumers must quarantine their food purchases in the garage before bringing them into the house.
This is because groceries are not frequently touched surfaces, and the risk of them containing COVID-19 is low, says Sanja Ilic, food safety state specialist with Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of The Ohio State...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Many people infected with COVID-19 show little to no symptoms of the disease, so researchers at The Ohio State University are creating a blood test that could detect the true extent of the pandemic
The researchers have also assisted Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center physicians who have created a treatment for severe cases of COVID-19, using the blood plasma of people who had COVID-19 and beat it.
Both the blood test for COVID-19 and the plasma treatment for those suffering from the respiratory disease could be critical in understanding and controlling the current pandemic.
Unlike the standard nasal swab test being used to diagnose COVID-19, the test that the Ohio State scientists, including ones at the College of Food, Agricultural, and...
I’m only shopping once or twice a month now, as I abide by the Ohio Stay at Home Order during the COVID-19 pandemic. How can I make sure my food lasts as long as possible so that I don’t have to keep going back to the store?
Your question is on the minds of many people nationwide, as the majority of the country continues efforts to flatten the curve and lessen the spread of COVID-19. In Ohio, for example, on April 2, the Stay at Home Order was extended to May 1.
With that in mind, many grocery retailers are or have implemented regulations to manage social distancing measures, including making grocery aisles move in one direction and lessening the number of shoppers in the stores at the same time.
With these limitations, consumers should first shop their cupboards and...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Viruses have been increasingly shifting from animals to people, a recent trend that has researchers at The Ohio State University closely studying a pig virus that can survive in human cells.
The rise in viruses jumping to other species, so-called “spillover” events, is spurred by people, particularly in the developing world, cultivating land that was once isolated forests.
In clearing those areas, people are exposing themselves to the viruses of wild animals that once lived secluded in those forests, said Scott Kenney, an assistant professor of veterinary preventative medicine at the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). Kenney’s research focuses on viruses that spread between animals and people.
Exotic live...
What steps do I need to take when ordering takeout food or food from a delivery service in light of the coronavirus pandemic?
First, it’s important to understand that COVID-19 is not a foodborne disease. While there have been no reports as of this time to suggest that COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has been transmitted by handling food or food packaging, here are some ways that you can protect yourselves and others when ordering food through takeout, a drive-thru, or a home delivery service.
Because COVID-19 transmits person-to-person through droplets that are produced when an infected individual coughs or sneezes, the best way to protect yourself and others is to keep physical distance of at least 6 feet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and...
COLUMBUS—The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) congratulates its 2020 Alumni Awards recipients.
“We are all inspired by the accomplishments of these individuals,” Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Dean Cathann A. Kress told 140 alumni, relatives, faculty, staff, and friends during an awards luncheon hosted by CFAES on March 7.
In all, 12 individuals were recognized during the annual event, held at the Fawcett Center on the Ohio State campus:
Meritorious Service Award
Jerry Bigham, PhD (Professor Emeritus), Hilliard, Ohio
William Hildebolt (BS, Food Technology Agriculture; MS and PhD, Horticulture), Winston-Salem, N.C.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Jeffrey Dickinson (...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Despite what you might think in the winter or even early spring, Ohio gets enough sunshine year-round to fuel solar energy facilities—massive ones.
The smallest solar energy project being planned in the state is 610 acres, and the largest is more than five times bigger, a facility slated to stretch across nearly 3,300 acres —over 5 square miles—in Hardin County.
“We’re not talking about a few panels here and there,” said Peggy Hall, agricultural and resource law field specialist for The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
In total, the 12 solar energy facilities being built or in the planning stages will cover about 16,000 acres—primarily in southern Ohio (Brown,...
What steps do I need to take when grocery shopping in light of the coronavirus pandemic?
COVID-19 is not a foodborne disease. While there have been no reports as of this time to suggest that COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has been transmitted by handling food or food packaging, here are ways that consumers can protect themselves when grocery shopping.
COVID-19 transmits person-to-person through droplets that are produced when an infected individual coughs or sneezes, said Qiuhong Wang, a scientist and coronavirus researcher with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. Symptoms range from mild to severe...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—While there’s no evidence so far that pets, livestock, or their owners can infect each other with COVID-19, there’s also very little research about a potential crossover.
The novel coronavirus started with an animal, then mutated to transfer to people, but research hasn’t yet shown if the virus has jumped back to animals, said Scott Kenney, a researcher at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
“Viruses are constantly sampling and evolving, trying to find other hosts,” said Kenney, who studies coronaviruses, including those that cross over from one species to another.
Quickly spreading among people across the world, COVID-19 is believed to have originated in bats, but the bat...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Rain creates mud, and mud creates angst for farmers kept from doing what they value most: getting out in the fields.
2019 ended what was the wettest decade in Ohio on record. This winter has not been as wet as the last one, but it has been warmer, so the ground has not frozen for long, leaving fields saturated. And this spring is projected to bring above-average rainfall to Ohio, which will bring on more mud.
And mud is not simply a gooey mess for the animals and people who trudge through it. Mud can keep farmers from planting and harvesting, lower crop yields, put livestock at higher risk for some diseases, and make it tougher for livestock to gain weight.
Drive on wet soil with heavy equipment such as a planter or harvester and the pore space between the...
