OSU Extension sets food service training

Van Wert independent/OSU Extension information

Foodborne illness outbreaks and product recalls are in the news daily.  Training managers and food service employees in safe food handling and how to deal with food safety issues could be the most cost-effective strategy a business will use!  In 2012, Ohio State University Extension is pleased to announce that Level I Serving Food Safely (ServSafe Starters) and Level II Training, ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification will be offered regularly. The first Level I training will be held Tuesday, January 17, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at OSU Extension’s Robert Fulton Agriculture Center, 8770 Ohio 108, Suite A in Wauseon.

This ServSafe Starters training provides accurate, up-to-date information for all levels of employees on handling of food, from receiving and storing to preparing and serving.  This course costs $30 per participant and is designed to provide food service employees with updated principles of safe food handling.  The principles learned in this course can easily be applied and practiced by all food service workers.

Food service managers will want to attend the Level II training on Tuesday, February 28, and Thursday, March 1, in Napoleon at OSU Extension’s Hahn Center; 140 E. Washington St.  The exam will be given on Tuesday, March 6. This training is provided using the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe curriculum. Topics for the sessions include basic food safety practices as well as further information on microorganisms and principles of the HAACP system. Completion will include testing and certification. This training is open to any manager or employee of food service operations. The cost will be $175 per participant.

Any food service worker or manager or owner of food service establishments will benefit from these trainings, because every part of a food service operation affects the safety of the food served and every employee plays a role in keeping food safe.  This is an opportunity to help food service managers and their employees to better understand their role in food safety at a price that a business can afford.  Several courses will be offered across Northwest Ohio in 2012.

For more information and future dates check out http://fulton.osu.edu or to register, call Ohio State University Extension at 419.337.9210.