By Caroline Garcia, arts, culture and sports reporter
The YMCA of Blacksburg is hosting their annual book fair, where they are selling used books, maps, vinyl records, and other physical media at affordable prices. The fair is taking place October 2nd through 4th, with a preview event on October 1st. Proceeds from the sale go toward YMCA initiatives, including literacy efforts in the New River Valley.
By Kiera Mcmahon, education reporter
Blacksburg residents Jon Dudding and Nancy Moseley have teamed up with Virginia Tech’s University Libraries to explore new ways of preserving the Barger Cemetery’s gravestones. Using digital technology, the university is helping to document the inscriptions and designs found on the stones before they are further damaged or weathered, with the goal of preserving an important piece of Blacksburg’s history.
Whether you’re registering for the first time, recently moved, or aren’t sure if you’re registered, here’s what Virginia students need to know about registering and making a plan to vote.
By Ella Winterling, science, technology, environment, and climate reporter
The Blacksburg Farmers Market offers SNAP benefits for patrons, improving access to local food. Virginia is now adopting new tap and go technology for SNAP cards, continuing to make the use of SNAP benefits easier for customers.
by Aidan Edelson, health and wellness reporter
The phrase “Freshman 15” is a widespread saying in college lore. See the truth and lies behind the term, and how to stay on track during that first year of college.
“The Freshman 15” is an intimidating saying in college pop culture. But it’s not really about the weight a freshman gains. It’s about the lifestyle changes that happen when someone goes away to college. Being in charge of yourself and your own habits for the first time can be tricky. Paying attention to nutrition and physical activity can become an everyday staple for some and an afterthought for others.
To sort out the true and false, Kasey Giles, a dietetics intern at Virginia Tech, and Charles Chalmers, a certified personal trainer, share advice and facts that can help freshmen start on the right foot.
Simply put, the “Freshman 15” is a total myth. According to Kasey Giles, “There’s really no peer-reviewed evidence that supports a mean weight gain of 15 pounds during the freshman year… the research really shows it’s like two to five pounds.” She went on to discuss that it varies from person to person. Some will gain weight, some will lose weight, and some will maintain their weight.
When asked about the pressure to stay physically active to avoid weight gain, Charles Chalmers said, “It really starts with your diet, if you’re making good choices. It’s like alcohol. If you drink alcohol, you get a little tipsy; you’re gonna make bad choices. You’re gonna eat whatever’s available, so I don’t know if it’s a stigma, thinking you’re gonna get fat because of that. But more or less, you guys are still growing. Your body’s changing rapidly, your hormones are adjusting, all that comes into it.”
It’s important to remember that freshman year is a time of change. The number on the scale might change, but there are a lot of factors that play into that change. So although the number 15 is not as significant as the saying suggests, the changes freshmen experience to their body and habits are real.
Much of it boils down to one thing: the newfound independence freshmen have. For a lot of students, college is the first time they are making food decisions for themselves on a daily basis. And now they find themselves with more options than ever.
“College is a major transition for most students. You’re learning how to feed yourselves often for the first time, unrestricted. And you begin to make those independent food decisions, and that’s just a big transition. Dining halls offer greater access, variety, and availability. And that’s new for a lot of students,” Giles said.
That new freedom doesn’t always mean students will make the right choices. It can also open the door to unhealthy habits that can cause more harm than good.
“It’s hard because when you enter college sort of with the voice in the back of your head that you don’t want to gain the freshman 15, students can quickly find themselves restricting what they eat. Changing calories, counting calories, weighing themselves, participating in unhealthy habits. And I think that narrative can be really damaging,” Giles explained.
When students come to college, it’s on them to try to have a routine. There is much less structure than in high school. Although that allows for more spontaneity and freedom, it can also be hard to adapt and create the structure needed to eat well and stay physically active.
Chalmers chimed in on this by saying, “A lot of people eat bad because they don’t have the time and the structure in their life to make healthy choices. Plus, you have the dining halls, top tier, and you have friends that you’re hanging out with, and you’re drinking, and you’re making bad choices. And one thing leads to the other, and you fall out of shape, sleeping a little too much, not moving around, and it’s very easy to put on the pounds.”
Giles agreed that finding structure is hard, but suggests a different approach. Don’t focus on finding the perfect solidified routine. Focus on your mental stability and sustainability. “I think something that a lot of college students find themselves struggling with is routine, and routine is just not normal for college students. I think it’s less about focusing on the lack of routine and more about focusing on your mental health and your mental stability and understanding that it’s unlikely you’re going to be able to eat a quote-unquote regular diet. So it’s focusing on those habits that are gonna support your overall well-being. If you’re able to at least eat a regular breakfast, that is a starting place. Or, when you do eat inconsistently, ensure that your plate has variety; ‘eating a colorful plate’ is what we like to say. It’s an easy starting place.”
So how can students create healthy physical fitness habits? Chalmers says it doesn’t take hours in the gym every day. “At least three days a week of hardcore [exercise]. I’d say, anywhere from 45-minute to 60-minute sessions. But also, it’s what’s outside the gym. What takes place outside, whether they’re making good choices; rather than riding the bus, if the weather’s good, they should be walking. Anytime you can ride a bicycle, jump on a bicycle; it’s a better choice than a scooter. Anything that you can do.”
For freshmen looking to stay on the right track, remember it’s not about avoiding the “Freshman 15”. It’s about understanding that changes will happen and building habits that are healthy and sustainable.
By Nick Carlson, science and technology reporter
BLACKSBURG, Va. — A $4.2 million GO Virginia grant awarded in May 2026 is funding an effort to expand advanced manufacturing across the New River Valley and Southern Virginia, create jobs and keep engineering talent in the region.
The New River Valley Regional Commission (NRVRC) and a coalition of regional partners are leading the initiative, known as AM2. Its service area spans Southwest and Southern Virginia, with the New River Valley and Danville forming its core. AM2 follows a 2023-25 planning phase that produced a 10-year roadmap for the region. That planning work was funded by a $500,000 U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, matched with $100,000 from GO Virginia. The roadmap also sets goals to create 100 jobs, place 25 paid internships, establish four new apprenticeships, serve 40 businesses and help those companies raise $2 million in outside funding.
Photo from AM2 10 year roadmap prepared by VT CECE.
Chip Bobbert, director of innovation at the Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance, said the region has a history in manufacturing and transportation. “You don’t have to go very far, especially on the Roanoke side to see it. We drive over a lot of railroad tracks just getting back and forth between here and Blacksburg…that’s in our DNA.” He pointed to Virginia Tech’s engineering program as another built-in advantage the region can lean on.
Manufacturing already supports 65,000 jobs at 1,330 firms across AM2’s full service area, according to the roadmap produced by Virginia Tech’s Center for Economic and Community Engagement. In the core region, manufacturing employment has grown 12% since 2020, nearly double the national growth rate, and the sector accounts for 14% of all core-region jobs, trailing only government as an employer.
“We want people to see this region as the place to start, build and grow an advanced manufacturing business,” said Leo Priddy, economic development planning specialist at the New River Valley Regional Commission.
Photo courtesy Leo Priddy.
Part of what makes the initiative credible, Priddy said, is what the New River Valley and Danville, the Southern Virginia hub of the core region, each bring to the table. The New River Valley offers the engineering and research capacity of Virginia Tech, he said, while Danville has the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, or IALR. These strengths, he said, made the two areas a natural fit when they were paired together for AM2’s original planning grant.
To carry out AM2’s goals, the initiative’s support breaks down into four main pieces: the consortium, which helps coordinate services and projects; studios, which provide technical assistance to help manufacturers adopt new technology; fellows, which pair subject-matter experts with companies; and the career network, which builds the workforce pipeline through education, internships and apprenticeships.
“The fellows side of this is trying to get people that are already working in this space, that have subject matter expertise in this to share that with folks that are starting to engage with these industries,” said Bobbert.
Of the $4.2 million award, $1.25 million is set aside as what Priddy called an “innovation fund” that will provide project-specific support for companies, such as hiring interns.
Keeping talent in the region is as much the point as bringing in new talent. “We have a talented group of young engineers that come out of Virginia Tech every year,” Bobbert said. “The opportunities to keep them in the region and designing and working here in the region is part of this too.”
That talent, Bobbert added, could be put toward work that extends well past the factory floor. “Not only can we manufacture advanced things, we can build things custom-sized for your body,” he said. “So why should the same pin that was designed for me be given to you, when a biomedical engineer could take the CT scans from our bodies and be able to produce the perfect-sized object for our individual repair.”
The initiative also reaches into middle and high schools. GO TEC, an existing middle school program Priddy pointed to, has helped establish hands-on labs and curriculum. AM2 is aimed at closing what Priddy called a “gap in ninth and 10th grade,” building coursework that bridges GO TEC to career and technical education classes in 11th and 12th grade.
Priddy said AM2 is also chasing harder-to-measure wins: manufacturers adopting new technology, improving productivity and strengthening regional supply chains. The initiative isn’t meant to replace groups like Onward NRV or the Roanoke Regional Partnership that handle business recruitment directly, he said, but to give them research, workforce and commercialization resources to bring into those conversations.
The consortium has also applied for an additional $40 million in federal EDA funding to scale up the broader roadmap, though that application hasn’t been decided. In the meantime, the region’s Emerging Tech Conference will include a dedicated AM2 track this fall, giving companies and researchers an early chance to connect.
Infographic created by Nick Carlson.
By Caroline Garcia, art, sports, and culture reporter
On a college campus where many are focused on academics and building a resume, one club wants to help the physical and mental wellness of women, building them up and bringing them together outside the classroom.
The Virginia Tech campus is home to two sizable gyms with all of the equipment one could ever need and more. Some students come into college as avid gym goers, whereas others might be stepping into a gym for the first time.
Despite previous knowledge, stepping into a new gym can be intimidating, or not having a gym buddy can be discouraging. CHAARG, a workout club at Virginia Tech, is working to curate a welcoming, inviting environment for women at Virginia Tech to workout together without judgment, expectations, or prior knowledge.
CHAARG (Changing Health Attitudes + Actions to Recreate Girls) is a national health and fitness organization that operates as a student-run club with hundreds of branches at colleges and universities across the country. The organization was founded in 2012 at The Ohio State University with the motivation of helping women to become more comfortable in the gym while also being able to have fun.
The Virginia Tech chapter was founded a few years ago, and has grown in size with over 100 members currently. Girls can become members of CHAARG, where they are exposed to a range of workout opportunities. Members are invited to join weekly group workouts, small group bonding activities, and social events. Workouts vary from week to week, exposing members to all different types of workout classes, including boxing, dance classes, weight training, running, and more.
Event coordinator for CHAARG, Alisa Calabro during a group workout at Blacksburg Boxing. September 15, 2026. Photo by Caroline Garcia.
The group element also brings a new smaller community of women to have fellowship with on a large campus. Alisa Calabro, the current event coordinator for CHAARG, shares her insight on the community CHAARG provides: “I really just like that it is a women-based community. The founder of CHAARG created workout groups so that you could try new things without having to feel judged or intimidated by gym bros grunting and screaming at the gym. We’re a community where you’re more comfortable being yourself around other people who you know are not going to judge you being there. It’s nice. Everyone’s so nice.”
“You know nobody’s looking. We’re doing jazz dance soon. I’ve never done jazz dance before and I can’t dance, but I go to these things knowing they’re not going to laugh at me or anything, and I can just try it and be free to do so. So it’s pretty cool,” Alisa added. “Another new thing we have this year is a run club — this is just additional stuff, because really the biggest thing we’re trying to do is make campus a little less intimidating.”
The weekly large group workouts exist to bring women together, while the small groups create even more intimate groups where real friendships and connections can develop. The small groups are structured where girls can sign up for a time slot that works with their schedule, and they are assigned a weekly slot with the same girls each week. The smaller groups allow girls to make deeper connections with each other by having consistent meetups to participate in a fun activity or just hang out with one another.
The club doesn’t just want to help women workout, but help to create a space for women to meet each other and broaden their horizons. “The group workouts challenge girls to try new workouts without feeling pressure or intimidation in a new environment,” said Halla Baugher, the vice president of media for CHAARG.
Aside from exercise, the leadership team is working hard to ensure that CHAARG focuses on a comprehensive scope on wellness. This semester, the club is bringing in health experts to speak on how food and exercise work in tandem — assuring members feel strong and energized for their workouts.
“The leadership team, we’re prioritizing staying healthy,” adds Calabro. “This year we’re trying to add in a dietician to come speak with us, so that no unhealthy habits accidentally form through a college fitness group. We think that’s very important.” With 50% of teenage girls participating in disordered eating behaviors, this education is more important than ever.
Accessibility is a pillar of what CHAARG is working toward. While making working out with new people more accessible, they also help to make classes more accessible financially. Many studios that host events with the club charge hundreds of dollars for memberships or individual sessions. In CHAARG, the women will pay an affordable fee in dues for the semester, which will cover all weekly classes that otherwise would add up quickly in price. The national organization also has grants where applicants can have their dues covered or dropped significantly, because they want all women to be included in the community.
Group photo at the end of the weekly CHAARG workout, holding up the organization’s logo. September 15, 2026. Photo by Caroline Garcia.
In a large school and online world, community is what people are looking for. Many girls have found this in CHAARG. Nihar, a freshman in the club, shares her reason for loving CHAARG: “It’s a really great community of girls. Everyone is all friends. I’m a freshman, so it’s my first year, and I think it’s a great way to get active and find a community.”
Calabro mentioned how she was able to meet a lot of girls that were outside of her major. “I just really like that it brings people together closer than just being in a club and coexisting with each other — you actually make connections and meet a lot of people you probably wouldn’t.”
CHAARG exhibits how health and community can work together to benefit students, both physically and mentally. With a goal of creating a belonging workout community without the intimidation, the organization exhibits a wellness goal Virginia Tech commits to: no Hokie left behind.
By Nichelly Lysy, Politics & Government reporter.
Montgomery County officials ended a joint meeting without changing the county’s zoning ordinance, but several participants favored retaining case-by-case control over large data centers instead of allowing them automatically in an industrial district.
The Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission spent more than an hour discussing electric demand, cooling systems, noise, tax revenue and the long-term fate of the buildings. County staff said the Board of Supervisors will need a dedicated work session to tell planners what kind of ordinance to study. No date for that session was announced.
The informational meeting was the county’s latest step in a process that began in December 2025, when supervisors directed planning staff and the Planning Commission to study data centers as a land use. Officials said Thursday that the current ordinance contains no provision allowing a data center in the county’s unincorporated areas. No development application was considered at the meeting.
Brea Hopkins, Montgomery County’s director of Planning and GIS Services, said staff needs a clearer destination before it can develop recommendations.
“What we’re looking for is direction on what you want us to study, what you want us to look at, what specifically our end goal is,” Hopkins said. Staff would then work through those questions with the Planning Commission before bringing a proposal forward, she said.
The News Feed reported in February that Montgomery County had no data-center proposal or zoning change under consideration. September 17’s meeting did not introduce a project, but it moved the county’s policy discussion toward possible rules for one.
That discussion comes as Virginia’s data-center industry expands beyond its concentration in Northern Virginia. Northern Virginia contains 13% of reported operational data-center capacity worldwide and 25% of capacity in the Americas, according to a 2024 study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. The commission found that future growth is expected in other parts of Virginia, although limited flat land and access to power can make Southwest Virginia sites harder to develop.
Representatives from the engineering firm Hurt & Proffitt explained that data centers range from rooms serving one institution to hyperscale campuses drawing hundreds of megawatts. Board and commission members questioned whether Montgomery County should distinguish projects by electric demand rather than square footage. They also discussed conditional-use permits, setbacks, cooling technology, construction traffic and requirements for removing or repurposing a facility after it closes.
The distinctions matter because the approval path determines how much discretion local officials retain. Todd Schenk, chair and associate professor of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech, said before the meeting that the absence of a stand-alone definition does not automatically prevent development in every locality.
“If a developer wants to put up a data center in an area zoned industrially and it meets all of the zoning and building requirements, the path to permitting is fairly straightforward,” said Schenk when asked about what a zoning district already permits.
Montgomery County officials clarified at the September 17 meeting that its present code does not provide that path. If the county adds data centers to the ordinance, it will have to decide whether any category should be permitted by right or whether proposals should require conditional approval. Several participants supported conditional review for larger facilities, while leaving open whether smaller enterprise facilities could follow different rules.
District F Supervisor Mary Biggs said she favored retaining the authority to review individual proposals. “We want to be able to put conditions on a potential project, and personally, I would,” Biggs said.
Schenk said unclear standards can turn discretionary reviews into legal and political disputes. “Ambiguities are a key source of disagreements around what should be permitted and where, and those disagreements often spill over into the courts and the courts of public opinion,” he said.
Water and land-use effects depend heavily on a facility’s design and location. JLARC estimated that Virginia data centers used 2.1 billion gallons of water in 2023. More than one-third came from reclaimed water, and the total represented less than 0.5% of statewide withdrawals. The same report said a typical 250,000-square-foot facility may employ about 50 full-time workers, while approximately 1,500 workers may be on site at the height of construction.
Schenk said county officials should evaluate fresh water, wastewater, stormwater runoff and backup generators alongside noise and setbacks. He also said residents should be involved before positions harden. “Engaging folks via well-designed outreach and participatory processes can build trust and lead to better, fairer, and more stable outcomes,” Schenk said.
When it comes to electricity, it involves decisions beyond county zoning. Ali Mehrizi-Sani, a Virginia Tech professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the university’s Power and Energy Center, said utilities must study whether generation and transmission systems can serve any proposed large load during normal operations and equipment failures, “Additional studies are done also to ensure the load variations and disturbances do not adversely impact the reliability of the grid,” Mehrizi-Sani said.
He said on-site generation would not make those studies unnecessary because the facility’s load and its generation could disconnect at different times during a disturbance. Mehrizi-Sani said current discussions indicate that upgrade costs would be borne by developers and that larger electricity purchases could create economies of scale. JLARC offered a more cautious statewide assessment: current rates appropriately assign existing costs, but rapid growth could still raise costs for other customers as utilities add generation and transmission infrastructure.
For Montgomery County, those statewide questions now return to a local one: what kind of development the county would accept and under what conditions. Hopkins said staff needs the Board of Supervisors to identify the subjects it should study and the outcome it should pursue. Until that direction comes, the county’s data-center rules remain unwritten.
By Alex Guerra, Crime, Safety, and Justice Reporter
The Blacksburg Police Department is located on Patrick Henry Drive in Blacksburg, Virginia. Photo by Alex Guerra, Sep. 14, 2026
When people think about police work, they often picture officers patrolling the streets, responding to calls or helping people in moments of crisis. But some of the work that keeps Blacksburg safe happens away from the public eye, where employees help analyze information, oversee operations, and support the department’s response to problems.
While officers working in the field are often the people the public sees, other employees spend their time gathering information, identifying patterns, and helping the department prepare for issues that may arise. These roles may receive less attention, but they are an important part of how a police department operates.
Women in the Blacksburg Police Department are taking on roles both in the field and behind the scenes, contributing to safety through leadership, data analysis and daily police work. For women like Courtney Corriere, a crime analyst within the department, keeping the community safe means doing work that people may not always see.
Courtney Corriere, Blacksburg Police Crime Analyst. Photo courtesy of Blacksburg Police.
Corriere was recently recognized on the Chambers 40 Under 40 list, highlighting her contributions to the community and her career. While her job doesn’t typically put her in the middle of fieldwork, the information she provides helps the department better understand what is happening in times of need.
”I knew when I was going through my undergrad at Radford that I did not, nor have I ever wanted to be an officer, but I wanted to be close by. And that’s what I found in crime analysis in Blacksburg. So there are opportunities out there that support the bigger picture,” Corriere explained.
Much of Corriere’s work involves reviewing information and turning it into something the department can use. Data can help police identify patterns, understand where problems occur, and make more informed decisions about how to respond. Her work can also involve finding information that may benefit different investigations.
“I think how easy it is to find information through open-source, unpaid resources. I think that would surprise people,” Corriere said. For her, crime analysis provides a way to contribute to police work without being an officer in the field. Her role requires her to work with information that helps the department understand what is happening and gives officers another resource when responding to problems.
Her position also shows the range of responsibilities, including working with other departments, creating bulletins in her free time, and ensuring everyone is thoroughly prepared for any situation. While officers may be the most visible part of the department, employees working with information and analysis can provide support that helps guide the department’s work.
Jessica Moye, a captain with the Blacksburg Police Department, has built her career in a field historically associated with men. As a woman in a leadership position, she has experienced the changing role of women in law enforcement while advancing through the department. “For Blacksburg especially, everyone from the time I was hired here,through all of my promotions, all of my mentors and supervisors were always so supportive of me.”
Captain Moye of the Blacksburg Police Department is one of the many women working to keep Blacksburg safe. Photo by Alex Guerra, Sep. 14, 2026
Police work is not limited to what happens during a call. Leadership, communication, and understanding the town are also keys to safety. “If we see an issue that is growing, we’re very in tune to recognizing that. So we kind of take charge of those potential bigger issues before they become bigger,” Moye said.
Moye’s role involves helping oversee the department and making big decisions as issues develop. That can mean recognizing problems early and making sure the department is prepared to respond. Her experience also shows how women can take on leadership roles within law enforcement while working with the rest of the department.
The contrast between Corriere’s work with data and Moye’s leadership demonstrates how many different people are involved in public safety. One works with information that can help explain what is happening, while the other helps guide the people responsible for responding. Both roles require skills that may not be obvious to the public.
Women in law enforcement can take on a variety of responsibilities, from analyzing information to managing officers and responding to residents. Their careers can look different depending on their position, experience, and role within a department.
For women considering a career in law enforcement, Moye’s career shows how women can advance through the field and take on leadership roles. She began her career with the department in a lower-ranking position and worked her way up to become a captain. “I hope it helps draw other females into police work.”
Corriere’s recognition highlights the importance of roles that may not always receive the same attention as those working in the field. Her work shows how people can contribute to public safety through research, analysis, and information rather than responding directly to calls.
“It’s nice to be recognized, but I’m definitely someone who more so likes to fly under the radar for sure,” Corriere said.
By Ella Winterling, science, technology, environment and climate reporter
In June 2026, there was a large increase in cases of Cyclospora, a parasite that is spread through contaminated food or water. While other unrelated outbreaks also occurred, the main outbreak was traced back to iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico by Taylor Farms.
Cyclospora is a parasite thought to be connected to the food environment through human fecal contamination. How exactly the produce becomes contaminated is still being researched, with scientific theories including water sources, sanitation infrastructure and other environmental factors.
News of the outbreak led to a variety of reactions across social media and raised questions about produce safety. As researchers worked on locating the cause of the outbreak, consumers questioned what was and was not safe to eat.
Cyclospora cayetanensis oocyst under a microscope. (Photo Courtesy of the CDC via Associated Press)
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that if one type of food is recalled, every product in that category is unsafe,” said Laura Strawn, a Virginia Tech professor with a focus in food microbiology and safety. “A recall usually applies to specific products, suppliers, production dates or lot codes, so consumers should look at the actual recall notice rather than assuming, for example, that all lettuce is unsafe.”
Instead of receiving information directly from social media, a common news source for college students, Stawn advises those seeking more information on recalls and outbreaks to go directly to the source to avoid misinformation.
“My advice is to go one step upstream,” Strawn said. “If a social media post says, “CDC says this” or “FDA found that,” go to CDC or FDA and see what they actually said.”
During the cyclospora outbreak this past summer, local farmer Kat Johnson noticed an increase in new customers coming to her produce stand at the Blacksburg Farmers Market.
“There’s been a lot of new faces at the market; people that didn’t come before are maybe coming to the market to feel safer about their food,” Johnson said.
While purchasing safe foods is not necessarily a matter of buying local produce versus grocery store produce, buying food from local farmers gives consumers closer access to where their food comes from.
Vendors sell their products at the Blacksburg Farmers Market on Sept. 16. (Ella Winterling, The News Feed NRV)
“Buying directly from a local grower can give consumers an opportunity to ask questions about their growing and food-safety practices, and supporting local agriculture has many benefits, but ‘local’ itself isn’t a food-safety intervention,” Strawn said. “Lots of big grocery stores do a fantastic job and provide food at consumer-friendly prices.”
Johnson, who specializes in growing “salad-centric” produce, goes through routine safety training and follows a specific procedure to ensure that her products are safe for consumers, including annual water tests and consistent sanitization of surfaces that come in contact with harvested crops.
“When the Cyclospora thing was just coming to light in the news, I put out a newsletter to my customers,” Johnson said. “I did reiterate what we were doing and what we can guarantee and what we can’t guarantee.”
According to Johnson, local farms, while small, take their jobs “really seriously”. From routine safety trainings to taking care of the land, Johnson emphasizes the energy and thought that goes into farming.
“The large, trucked-in food system is really fragile, and I think that in times like this, or times like COVID or big natural disasters, you realize that having food grown close to home is really a matter of food security for our community,” Johnson said. “Supporting the farmers that are doing that before something bad happens is really important.”
Whether purchasing produce from a chain grocery store or a local farm stand, consumers can still practice healthy habits when it comes to produce safety, from rewashing lettuce to staying aware of cross-contamination. While Strawn recommends washing produce, she also warns of its limitations.
“Rinsing produce can reduce contamination, but it cannot guarantee that all pathogens are removed,” Strawn said. “That’s particularly true for Cyclospora, which is difficult to remove and is resistant to many common sanitizers. If a product has been recalled with instructions to discard it, washing it doesn’t make that recalled product safe to eat.”
In general, for college students looking for safe and affordable produce, it’s all about personal preference. Whether it’s organic local produce or canned vegetables, there are options for every need.
“My advice to students is to buy fruits and vegetables that fit your budget, your schedule and what you’ll actually eat,” Strawn said. “Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables can be great, affordable options too, and choosing store brands, buying produce in season and selecting foods with a longer shelf life can help reduce cost and food waste.”
While the Cyclospora outbreak caused fear in relation to buying and eating certain produce, Strawn explains that with safe practices, produce should not be something to be avoided.
“I don’t want an outbreak or recall to make people afraid of eating fruits and vegetables,” Strawn said. “The goal of food safety isn’t to make people afraid of food, it’s to understand where risks occur and figure out how we can prevent them.”
