Foodborne illness is a common, costly yet preventable public health problem. CDC estimates one in six Americans get sick from contaminated foods or beverages and that 3,000 die each year. The USDA estimates foodborne illnesses cost $15.6 billion each year. Reducing foodborne illness by 10% could keep 5 million Americans from getting sick each year.
Purdue Extension collaborates with the National Restaurant Association to offer ServSafe Manager food safety training and ServSafe Food Handler training for home-based vendors, volunteers, and food service workers. The results:
- 49 counties had 201 training sessions for 853 hours of instruction for 1,144 participants.
- 892 adults self-reported demographics as White (87%) Hispanic (6%) Black (3%) American Indian or Asian (less than 1%) and female (66%). American Indian tribes were Cherokee and Pueblo of Laguna.
- 96 youth self-reported being White (83%) American Indian (3%) Hispanic (3%) Black (2%) Asian (1%) and female (63%). Food handlers were home-based vendors (60%) or considering becoming home[1]based businesses (31%).
- 490 (74%) passed the manager exam. Managers learned monitoring time and temperature, food safety management systems, flow of food: holding and serving, and flow of food: preparation, cooking, cooling.
- Managers intend to adopt practices: assess areas for activities that risk microbial contamination (71%), use proper time and temperature controls (66%), and take steps to reduce cross-contamination risks (59%); 54% already do recommended handwashing.
- Of the 72 managers (23%) on three-month follow-up, 92% were still in food service.
- Managers remembered: personal hygiene, cleaning/sanitizing, monitoring time and temperature, and flow of food: preparation, cooking, cooling. Participants applied: reducing cross[1]contamination risks, recommended handwashing, and using proper time and temperature controls.
- 236 (44%) passed the handler exam. Handlers learned: controlling time and temperature, how food becomes unsafe, preventing cross-contamination, and cleaning/sanitizing. Two-thirds intend to adopt practices: use proper time and temperature controls (69%) and assess areas for activities that risk microbial contamination (68%).
ServSafe Manager and Food Handler training contribute to knowledge and certification for 1,000 restaurant/food service workers and business/home vendor compliance with state food safety laws. Manager participants remembered information and applied recommended practices at work. These efforts help Indiana residents get/keep jobs in restaurants/food service and contribute to safe food preparation, storage, serving, and consumption.