Cooperative Extension office to host food safety course

Aug. 05--Every year there are 48 million cases of foodborne illnesses, but an upcoming course for restaurant workers at the N.C. Cooperative Extension office in Wilson County hopes to limit the incidents locally by emphasizing safe food practices.

Safe Plates is the cooperative extension's version of ServSafe, but is cheaper and emphasizes real-world experience over book knowledge.

"Safe Plates covers food storage, buying and receiving, time and temperature controls, hand-washing, glove use as well as pest control and management," said Cassidy Hobbs, the family and consumer science agent for Wilson and Johnston counties.

The course will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 27 and 28 with the exam held at 9 a.m. on Aug. 29. Once the course is completed, participants will receive the American National Standards Institution-approved food protection manager certification.

"Any time the restaurant's doors are open, there needs to be one food protection manager working," Hobbs said. "That can be a waitress, a chef, a manager, because anyone is eligible to take the class and sit for the exam. If a restaurant is open and they don't have a certified food protection manager on duty, then two points are automatically docked from the restaurant's health rating."

Registration for the course is due by Friday. Participants can print the registration form and mail it or drop it off at the Wilson County Agricultural Center, 1806 Goldsboro St. SW. along with the $125 fee, which covers class materials, exam fees and study guides. The certification lasts for five years.

"Of the 48 million cases of foodborne illnesses, 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 people die each year," said Hobbs, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Without this certification, a person is putting their business and their health rating at risk. And if you have a foodborne outbreak, you're at risk for damage to the business, to your reputation as well as lawsuits."

For more information and the registration form, visit wilson.ces.ncsu.edu and click on "Safe Plates."

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