Bolton mentioned in Press Herald article on curing salts

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

February 12, 2018 Cooperative Extension, Outreach, UMaine in the News

Jason Bolton, a food safety specialist at University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was mentioned in the Portland Press Herald article, “Burdensome rules prompt chefs to shun curing salts.” Three years after city health officials embargoed hundreds of pounds of cured meats at local restaurants until they could be deemed safe, Portland chefs have stopped using the curing salts that added color and flavor to meat but that the city considers a potential danger to the public, according to the article. Several restaurants had their cured meats embargoed during the crackdown. Once the meat was released back to the restaurants, the owner of Nosh Kitchen Bar had the restaurant’s brisket tested, and the results were sent to Bolton, who declared the meat was safe, the article states. However, if the restaurant wanted to continue curing meat in-house, the cooks would have had to submit a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan outlining the process they use to cure the brisket. The owner decided the regulations were too much for a small restaurant to deal with, and now buys corned beef from a Massachusetts supplier, the Press Herald reported.