Standards Spotlight

It’s officially the holiday season, with Thanksgiving kicking off the month-long slide into the end of the year. As the weather gets colder, nothing is more comforting than filling your home with the warmth of loved ones and sharing a hot meal together. As the year starts winding down, it’s a great time to give thanks for the year you’ve had and look forward to the year to come.

Standards Support Thanksgiving Traditions

An estimated 46 million turkeys are consumed during Thanksgiving each year. From oven roasting to deep-frying, Americans find innovative ways to cook their turkey for their festive meal. While most consumers might not think about all the steps from farm to table, precautions must be taken at each step of way in order to minimize the risk of food-borne illness to the consumer. ASTM F1356-16 Red, Standard Guide For Irradiation Of Fresh, Frozen Or Processed Meat And Poultry To Control Pathogens And Other Microorganisms (Standard + Redline PDF Bundle), covers the use of ionizing radiation to eliminate or reduce the numbers of vegetative, pathogenic microorganisms and parasites, and to extend the refrigerated shelf-life of those products by reducing the numbers of spoilage microorganisms in fresh, frozen, or processed meat and poultry. The standard was developed by ASTM International, an ANSI member and audited designator.

With so much festive food, Thanksgiving is a great excuse to break out the fancy china to try to impress the guests. Fancy china, and luckily, there’s a standard to  ASTM C368-88(2020), Standard Test Method For Impact Resistance Of Ceramic Tableware, covers impact tests at the center of both flatware and hollow ware and at the rim of hollow ware, and chipping tests at the rim of flatware. The standard was also developed by ASTM International.

Thanksgiving isn’t just about the food. Another timeless tradition that has captured the heart of America is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Every year, on Thanksgiving Day, New Yorkers come out to line the streets while the rest of America watches from home. So much planning and details go into the whole spectacular display, but the safety of all involved is crucial to the success of the parade. ANSI E1.57-2016 (R2021), Recommendations To Prevent Falls On Or Off Movable Parade Floats, Movable Stages, And Similar Moving Platforms, offers recommendations to prevent falls by anyone (e.g., performers, technicians, politicians) on parade floats, movable stages, and similar moving platforms. The American National Standard also takes into consideration the artistry of the floats and aims to preserve that artistry. The standard was developed by Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA), a member and ANSI-accredited standards developer.

Wherever you are, we hope that you have a warm and hearty Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for. We know that we, here at ANSI, are thankful for all of the dedicated members of the standardization community whose work throughout the year contributes to a safer, more resilient world. We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!