Effectiveness of Hand Washing Demonstrated at NC State Fair

Food-borne illness that can be prevented by hand washing has received a lot of publicity in the past few weeks, and Dan Ragan, director of the food and drug protection division for NCDA is hosting a booth at the NC State Fair to demonstrate the importance of keeping hands clean:

“We realize that one of the ways of dealing with our public health partners to reduce disease is by getting people to wash their hands. Commissioner Troxler has asked us to put this out again this year.”
 

Young and old alike can learn about hand washing according to Ragan:

“It’s something to try to teach children to wash their hands better. The goal here is to prevent food-borne illness and stimulate the idea of health in children.” 

It’s really a simple, but effective demo…rub cream to simulate germs on your hands, then look at them under a black light, then wash your hands there at the booth, afterwards looking at them again under black light to see how well you did. See how well I did…check out the photos to the right… 

Find the booth between the Exhibition Building and the Jim Graham Building through Sunday at the North Carolina State Fair.
 

Pressure for GMO Labeling is High Nationally

Oftentimes the bellwether of what’s to come for the rest of the country, California could become the first state to require labeling of any food sold in the state containing ingredients made from genetically modified crops. California voters will make that decision on November 6th and polls have shown strong support for Proposition 37. But as the vote nears – that support appears to be waning. A new survey by the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and the California Business Roundtable shows support for the so-called Right to Know measure has dropped from 66.9-percent to 48.3-percent in just two weeks. Even if the voters of California decide against mandatory labeling – pressure is mounting on the federal government to tighten regulation of GMO crops and the foods they become, with a national labeling campaign underway.

Beekeeping Demonstrated at the South Carolina State Fair

At the South Carolina State Fair all kinds of produce, trees, flowers and crafts are entered to be judged. And honey is no exception. One would think that taste would be the determining factor but Danny Cannon with the South Carolina Beekeepers Association says that is simply not the case:

“Honey is based on appearance for judging purposes. It literally has to be perfect in appearance, a spec or an air bubble will cast it aside. They only pick the best looking. It’s not about the taste.”
 

To see the display of prize winning honey visit the Cantey Building at the South Carolina State Fair. 

 Rural Voter Poll Shows Romney Surge

A new poll shows a rural surge for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. A bipartisan poll shows rural voters in swing states favor former Governor Romney over President Obama by 22-points – 59-percent to 37-percent. The National Rural Assembly and Center for Rural Strategies poll – taken after Romney's strong first debate performance – has him up eight-points from his 14-point rural advantage in a similar September poll.

Obama lost the 2008 rural vote in 13 swing states by just a bit more than two-percent. A bigger rural loss this year would make it harder to prevail with close urban-suburban margins.