Food Items

Towson area businesses this week launched a two-week food drive to restock the shelves at the food pantry at the Assistance Center of Towson Churches following a slow summer of donations and a period of high need. "This time of year is always difficult to keep on top of demand," said Cathy Burgess, director of the assistance center. "High unemployment and lean budgets have so many people in the Towson area struggling to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. " Several Towson businesses, including local law firms, building owners, government and financial services firms are collecting nonperishable food through Sept.

BGE customers should call 877-778-2222 immediately to report your location. Turn off or unplug sensitive electronic equipment and appliances to avoid damage from surges when power return. Do not use candles as lighting. Leave one light turned on so you'll know when the power is restored. Connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on a portable generator. Do not connect a portable generator to a home's electrical system. Never use a generator, grill or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside a home or any partially enclosed area.

As demand for its services continues to increase around the state, the Maryland Food Bank launched its annual Harvest for the Hungry food drive Friday, an initiative that has collected more than 30 million pounds of food for Marylanders in need since 1987. Organizers hope the campaign, which starts Saturday and runs through Feb. 19, will net more than the 300,000 pounds it collected for the state's hungriest residents in 2010. "With more than 448,000 Marylanders needing food assistance, help is needed now more than ever," said Deborah Flateman, CEO of the Maryland Food Bank.

T he most useful tool to keep up with a dizzying array of food recalls might be in your wallet. Food safety advocates are urging retailers to use purchasing records culled from store loyalty cards to notify customers that they have bought a recalled product. But while they say that could be the best way to reach consumers and prevent illness, opponents raise privacy concerns. It can be a daunting task tracking food recalls, and debate over the issue continues.

A group of students at Atholton High School thinks a healthier spin on a spicy restaurant favorite will get their classmates excited about school lunch. The six students in Liela Razik's culinary classes won the right to have their recipe for a spicy buffalo chicken wrap served in cafeterias throughout the Howard County school system this fall. "We realized we can make something that tastes great," said Mary Geiser, an 18-year-old senior member of the winning team. Geiser and her teammates served the meal to 150 students and received rave reviews before submitting the recipe for the competition.

Carrot and celery sticks. Garden salad topped with grilled chicken. Hummus and organic iced teas. This isn't the kind of fare typically found at convenience stores. But consumers are seeing more fresh fruits and vegetables in convenience store cases right next to the traditional munchies like preservative-packed desserts and bags of salty snacks. Demand for healthy food options continues to grow, along with concerns about trans fat and rising obesity rates. In response, even convenience stores are offering healthier, on-the-go food items.

Recently some of our frozen meat and seafood was confiscated at the airport in Los Cabos, Mexico. How can we find out what food items are allowed from the United States and in what form? The following information comes from the office of the Mexican secretary of agriculture: If you are transporting meat across the border, it should be frozen and kept in its original packaging so that it can be identified, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture stamp clearly visible. You are allowed a maximum of 15 kilograms (33 pounds)

Baltimore: Training City to participate in biological exercise Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley announced yesterday that the city, along with Anne Arundel, Howard, Harford and Baltimore counties, will conduct a biological training exercise this month. State agencies and hospitals will participate. Called Harbor Base III, it will be the third full-scale biological exercise in the city since 2003. A statement from the city Health Department says the drill is to help improve coordination between hospitals, communication between rescue and police agencies and examine how public and private agencies work together in a crisis.

Kenny Day, Tailgaters are investing in technology to spice up their parking-lot parties, impress their friends and take advantage of modern conveniences. Along with elaborate spreads of food and drink, fans are carting expensive grills, gas-powered blenders, flat-screen televisions and satellite dishes to stadium parking lots. And the technology industry is doing its best to capitalize on the interest. Companies like Rhode Island-based KVH Industries Inc. sell a satellite system for tailgaters who want to stay connected with sports, news and movie channels.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Meadowbrook Elementary fifth-grader Mercedes Strawther nibbled on the salty, rectangular block of white cheese and decided she didn't like it because it was "gushy and nasty." Thumbs down, she marked on her evaluation sheet. Hugo Roman, 10, liked the charbroiled-flavor burger he tried because it "tastes like Burger King." With their taste buds on loan to the U.S. Agriculture Department, students judged - on color, smell and taste - a dozen other food items last week.