Worrying if holiday leftovers are safe to eat is one thing you can take off your to-do list this season. The "4-Day Throw Away" leftovers app has come to the rescue.
Families looking for an extra line of defense to protect themselves from bad leftovers now can use the updated version of this app to alert users when it is time to use or throw away a particular food item.
The new version of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension app, available for download in the iTunes App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/app/leftovers/id427307538?mt=8 adds a reminder feature which uses a device's push notifications to alert users when it is time to use or throw away a particular food item.
The app is available for iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® devices.
The "4-Day Throw Away" leftovers app, launched last spring, is an easy-to-use resource to look up hundreds of individual food items, along with storage recommendations, reheating instructions, special considerations and related foodborne illnesses.
Users of the app can set reminders from within a food description, or by using the reminders tab. Reminders can be set for any number of days and hours in the future, so users can match the guidelines for each food type in the app, or set reminders that work best for their daily lives. A notes section lets users add extra detail to a reminder.
Many consumers don't realize how quickly food leftovers can become unsafe or spoil, said Julie Albrecht, UNL food specialist in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The app, along with the whole 4-Day Throw Away campaign, is not only informing consumers about food leftovers, but helping them to practice safe leftover usage and food storage in their homes, she said.
The 4-Day Throw Away campaign, which features the #4 as its mascot, is educating consumers about the dangers of foodborne illnesses and the four-day guideline for eating, freezing or throwing away leftovers. It is funded by a United States Department of Agriculture grant and is a partnership between Iowa State University Extension and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
More details at: www.fourdaythrowaway.org