A ‘handy’ guide for food portion sizes

Dept. of Commerce, Health and Wellness Committee

Have you been munching and snacking your way toward the new year?

Would you like an early, easy and healthy kick off to your New Year’s resolution between all that eating? You can start with portion sizes, and for that, you just need your hands.

“Unlike a deck of cards, tennis ball, measuring cups or other visual images, hands are always at the table with you,” said Simin Levinson, a clinical assistant professor in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University.

And your hands are practical and accurate.

For example, the serving size for:

• Proteins such as chicken, fish or beef is 3 to 4 ounces, which is about the size of your palm.
• Carbs like pasta and rice are about 1 cup, or the size of your fist.
• Fat is about 1 teaspoon per meal, or half a thumb.
• Fruit should fit in the palm of one cupped hand.
• Vegetables should fit in the palms of two cupped hands.

To help get started, see the simple guide of illustrations above that you can use at your next meal.

In summary: For an easy way to eyeball the appropriate portion sizes for your food, look no further than your own hands. This Insider article is courtesy of the Department of Commerce’s Health and Wellness Committee.

Claudia Coles leaves WSDA after long food safety career

Kathy Davis
Communications

Growing up on a dry-land farm in the Red River Valley of North Dakota, Claudia Coles learned a thing or two about agriculture and about food safety. 

Her family, who still grows wheat, barley, beans, corn and sunflowers, had a tradition of volunteering with organizations such as the General Federated Women’s Club, which helped promote and establish the nation’s first food safety laws that eventually became the Food and Drug Administration. 

Claudia will wrap up a 35-year career with WSDA at the end of December, all of it dedicated to protecting our food supply and the public’s health. 

Washington becomes home

When she arrived in Seattle in 1982, she planned to return to the Midwest to pursue graduate studies in food science in Minnesota. But courses at the University of Washington and a student job as a lab tech for WSDA led to a full-time position and her destiny. 

One opportunity led to another and then another. She became a food safety officer in 1990 when the agency’s food and dairy programs merged to become the Food Safety Program. She was promoted to supervisor and then served as program manager for 11 years, beginning in 2000. 

She went on to lead the Office of Compliance and Outreach. Since 2015, she has been the Food Safety and Consumer Protection Division’s policy and external affairs adviser. 

Claudia giving an educational presentation. 

One responsibility of her current role is as the division’s subject matter expert providing strategic direction on implementation of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act, the groundbreaking legislation reforming the nation’s food safety system. 

Claudia has seen many changes in her storied career. 

“WSDA did not have a great reputation in the public health inspection area when I first started in the early 1980s,” she recalled. “With the blended food safety program and focus on public health and regulatory compliance, the agency has since become nationally recognized for our food safety and public health work.”

Making a mark

Claudia’s many career highlights have contributed to that turnaround. 

For instance, she was instrumental in securing FDA cooperative agreements for the Rapid Response Team, Manufactured Food Regulatory Standards, Recall Coordination and ISO Accreditation for our microbiology lab. 

She remembers investigating an illegal raw milk operation that caused at least 15 people, mostly children, to become ill from E coli. Investigators connected the peoples’ pathogens to environmental samples collected at the farm.

Claudia with Gov. Jay Inslee outside the
Governor's Mansion.

“These findings led to legislative changes strengthening state law for raw milk requirements, as well as agency penalty action and federal court action against the farm operation for violating interstate transportation of raw milk,” Claudia said. 

Among the recognition she has received, Claudia cites the FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation Award as one she is most proud of. 

Another highlight was the opportunity to travel to Finland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia soon after the Soviet Union broke apart while she was a member of the Ag Forestry Leadership Program’s Class 14. 

What’s next?

But wait – Claudia is not done yet! For her next act, she will take on a new role as president of the Seattle-based Seafood Products Association (SPA), which represents member companies on technical and regulatory issues aimed at safe, quality and legal manufactured food production. 

Claudia’s many WSDA colleagues will miss her, but can be assured that she will continue to work for the safety of our food supply. Thanks Claudia! 

In summary: Claudia Coles departs a long, accomplished career with the Food Safety and Consumer Services Division, retiring from state service at the end of December. What’s next for Claudia? Read her profile on the Insider employee blog.

Watch for some changes in your 2019 paychecks

Kathy Davis
Communications 

You will see some changes on your pay stub beginning in January resulting from new laws approved by the Legislature and changes to costs for medical benefits. 

First, the good news - your base pay will increase by 2 percent starting Jan. 1, due to phased-in cost-of-living adjustments included in the current state budget. Two previous 2 percent hikes occurred in July 2017 and 2018. 

At the same time, some new or increased deductions could offset that pay raise. 

Based on new contracts for health insurance plans, you may pay more for medical coverage through the state. Many, though not all, employer-provided insurance plans are increasing monthly premiums for 2019. Depending on your plan, the increases range from $1 to about $30 per month. 

To compare next year’s premium rates with current, see the Health Care Authority’s medical plan premiums webpage. 

New leave benefit deduction

Beginning with the Jan. 10 paycheck, only WSDA employees whose positions are not represented under a union collective bargaining agreement will see a new deduction to fund the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. 

In 2017, the Legislature created the PFML benefit to cover all private and public employees in Washington State. It offers partially paid leave to:

• Care for yourself or a loved one during serious illness or injury.
• Bond with a new baby or placement of a child under age 18.
• Certain military-connected events when a family member is on active duty. 

While premium deductions begin this January for non-represented positions, workers will not be able to apply for leave through the program until the following year, 2020. 

State government employees and employers share the premium cost for PFML, with employees providing an estimated four-tenths of a percent (0.4%) of gross pay. Non-represented WSDA employees will be notified directly before the Jan. 10 payday with details about what they can expect to see deducted from their paycheck. 

Employees whose positions are represented under either the Washington Federation of State Employees or Washington Public Employees Association collective bargaining agreements – whether they pay member dues or not – will learn how PFML premium deductions will affect them after an agreement is negotiated later in 2019. 

For more information about PFML, see the Washington Employment Security Department webpage on Paid Family Medical Leave.  

Unchanged, probably

The surcharges and premiums listed below will not change for 2019, unless certain personal details change your eligibility and premium level. For instance, reaching a higher age range may trigger increases in life insurance premiums. 

• Spouse or state-registered domestic partner premium surcharge; $50/month.
• Tobacco-use premium surcharge; $25/month.
• Optional life insurance premiums.
• Optional long-term disability premiums. 

For more details about public employee benefits, see the Health Care Authority’s website. 

In summary: While state employees get another pay increase in January, a new deduction and medical premium increases taking effect may also affect your bottom line. It depends. Read about the changes on the Insider employee blog.

Meet the Leaders: Meaning and motivation for Steve Fuller

Kathy Davis
Communications

Welcome to the first of a new Insider series aimed at getting to know our agency leaders. Steve Fuller has worked here for about nine years and is one of our newer assistant directors. He started with the agency as a non-permanent project manager, and worked his way up through program manager and policy adviser positions. I recently asked Steve some questions about leadership, motivation, and making hard choices. Below are his answers.

What led you to take on your current leadership role? 

I really enjoyed working in policy and legislative affairs in the Director’s Office. I got to work on hard issues and I didn’t have to supervise anyone. When it became clear Food Safety and Consumer Services would need a new leader, I gave it a lot of thought. Do I stay in a job that’s comfortable for me or do I take on a whole new set of challenges?

Factored into that decision, I knew the division was undergoing some big changes that I genuinely cared about. Second, I didn’t want to just settle in to the status quo and become the stereotypical state employee. 

Also, the world has felt kind of chaotic. That makes a lot of us feel vaguely adrift and vulnerable and a good leader can be helpful. I wasn’t so foolish as to think I would be a great leader on my first day, but I thought I might have the potential to become a good one. If I could, I had an obligation to try. 

What motivates you?

Several things, but especially my family. My wife is a smart and giving person who is always looking for new ways to help others. Watching her spend her life in service helps me avoid the low-motivation trap. I also have four kids who are counting on me. Some days that feels like a second full-time job. Without them, it would be a lot easier to just go full hermit. My older kids even say thank you once in a while. One sincere thank you can keep my dad heart ticking for a month.

I’m also motivated by all the people working in the division. We’re working really hard to get things done, and I sure don’t want to be the weak link in that chain. 

Steve and his family.

Finding meaning in my work is motivating, and there’s plenty of meaning in the things we’re working on. For example, our Produce Safety Program is building a brand new regulatory program from scratch. People are counting on us to make food safer in a way that doesn’t hurt all the good people who make their living growing food. 

How do you deal with the pressures that come with your role?

I feel responsible for people in a whole different way than I did before, so I’ve had a hard time letting work go at the end of the day.

One thing that’s helping is to stop holding myself responsible for every outcome. We make the best decisions we can with the information we have at the time, observe outcomes and let them improve our decision making next time. I only have the resources to deal with today’s troubles. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

How do you keep your team motivated and encouraged?

I’m pretty new to this gig, but I recognize what a fantastic group of program managers I have on my team. I never realized before just how much program managers have coming at them. They really keep the wheels on. It’s my job to create high expectations, make sure everyone knows what success looks like and that they have the resources to be successful, and then get out of the way. 

I also recently figured out that my wife’s chocolate chip cookies are pretty popular, so they might have to make some more appearances.

What is the driving force behind your leadership?

This one is very personal for me. Public service is a big umbrella, and I want everyone on my team to bring their authentic selves to work each day. For me, I find that my faith informs how I lead and, in my better moments, gives me the desire to do my best and the courage to take chances. I still mess that up all the time, but I’m learning. 

Steve (center) with Food Assistance programs staff, from left: James Scovel,
Nichole Garden, Kim Eads, and Lisa White. 

What leaders (past or present) do you admire? What about their leadership skills do you emulate?

Being a UCLA alum, I’d say the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden. His basketball coaching success speaks for itself, but it’s his integrity I admire most. He would often remind people that basketball was not the ultimate reality, and much more went into building a whole life. 

One of his sayings that stuck with me -  “If you don’t have time to do it right, when are you going to have time to do it over?”

What was your first job? What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had?

My first job was as a cashier at Toys R Us (R.I.P.). It was really mind numbing and I felt like I was on display. I hated it so much that I even started to hate the road I drove to work on. And once a company hired me as a temp to “process their billing.” It actually meant “fold the bills.” I literally spent an entire eight-hour shift tri-folding a massive stack of paper. It was awful.

In summary: The first of a new “Meet the Leaders” series on Insider profiles Steve Fuller, assistant director of the Food Safety and Consumer Services Division. Learn what shapes Steve’s leadership style, and what was his first job?