My Farm, Your Table speaker emphasizes food safety, educating public on food production

Dr. Stephany Smith was the guest speaker at the 2019 My Farm, Your Table event in Ritzville on Saturday Sept. 14. Smith is a professor at Washington State University and a statewide consumer food safety specialist.

Smith's talk, followed by a meal prepared by Chef Dawn Nelson, capped off an afternoon aimed at educating the public about what goes into food production at area farms.

Four booths were set up outside Amarican Legion Hall downtown Ritzville. Topics of the booths include beef production, wheat, eggs and canning.

Smith's lecture focused mainly on food safety and what steps farmers are taking to keep the food we eat safe.

According to Smith, 48 million people in the United States get sick with a foodborne illness each year. She also said that 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die.

While everyone is at risk for a food borne illness, some people are at a greater risk. Children, seniors and pregnant women are all included as those who are at more of a risk.

Smith went through the steps that farm workers are taking to ensure that they only harvest safe food. However, she also said that farm workers are but a single group of people who will be handling food. Food safety depends on solid practices from all the way from the farm to the table. Smith referred to process as a chain.

"In that chain is also the consumer," Smith said. "It's really important that the consumer follows through with safe practices to ensure that the food we serve our families is in good condition."

One point Smith emphasized was that the only way to know if meat is cooked enough is to use a food thermometer. She said there is no other way. Food may look done, but if you don't check its temperature, you won't know for sure if it is safe to eat.

After the presentation, Nelson presented her small dishes made with food donated by local farmers. Pork, lamb and beef dishes were all prepared.