Topics:

• Food Safety

  Food Safety

  Foodborne illness continues to be a public health issue. Each year in the United States there are an estimated 76 million cases of foodborne illness that result in an estimated 5,000 deaths. Mishandling of food, such as improper temperature control, poor sanitation, and cross contamination cause the majority of all foodborne illnesses. Experts believe that the way to reduce foodborne illnesses is to educate food handlers.

  The recent Pennsylvania Food Employee Certification Act mandates that at least one person in a managerial position in every licensed food establishment in the Commonwealth be trained in food safety. The state Department of Agriculture is responsible for enforcement of the Act. Using ServSafe®, a curriculum developed by the National Restaurant Association, Penn State Cooperative Extension educators provided training for food handlers to meet Pennsylvania’s new food certification requirements. ServSafe® is a nationally recognized food safety certification program, and participants need to score 75 or above on the final exam to pass. For PA certification, one needs to score 70 or above on the ServSafe® exam. In October of 2000, a 17-hour ServSafe® training was conducted by the Pike Cooperative Extension office in Newfoundland, and was taught by Dawn Olson, Monroe County Extension Educator. Sixteen local food handlers and food service managers attended. They completed class activities and assignments, and prepared well for the exam. The average final exam score was 90% and all met the requirements for PA food employee certification!

  The training course included topics such as reducing contamination and foodborne illness; food storage, preparation and serving; food safety regulations and standards; and HACCP. All reported increasing their knowledge of safe food handling practices. Many said they would recommend the course to others and that they learned information they planned to put into practice.