Contact:
Office of Communications and Government Affairs
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179
E-mail: tconn@shawnee.edu

(Photo and cutline by Phyllis Noah, communications coordinator)

            In the photo, Dorita Hodges, FMP, Management Training Coordinator and ServSafe Instructor for LaRosa's Center for Learning in Cincinnati instructed the Food safety certification classes in June at Shawnee State University. ServSafe provides the restaurant and food service industry with an up-to-date, comprehensive food safety training and certification program and it is recognized both in Ohio and Kentucky Departments of Health. The training program is offered quarterly at SSU.

(Article by Phyllis Noah, communications coordinator)

 

            For the past three years, Shawnee State University has provided state-approved food safety training awarding more than 150 ServSafe Food Protection Certifications. ServSafe is a nationally recognized and accredited program.
            The ServSafe Food Safety Manager Certification Program was developed by the National Restaurant Association and leads the way in providing foodservice industry with an up-to-date comprehensive food safety training and certification program.
            “The two-day comprehensive ServSafe training at Shawnee State educates attendees on the elements of safe food handling and how to design a safety program that will protect customers from potential food-borne illness.” said Brenda Covert, manager of Business and Industry Training, “This training not only teaches attendees the ‘how and why’ of safe food handling, but also teaches them specifics on micro-organisms and their relationship to food-borne illness. In addition, they learn sanitation management and pest control.”
            The State Of Ohio requires that every food service establishment have a person certified in food safety or be able to demonstrate knowledge of food-borne illness and how to prevent its occurrence.
            ServSafe provides the restaurant and food service industry with an up-to-date, comprehensive food safety training and certification program and it is recognized both in Ohio and Kentucky Departments of Health.
            According to the Center for Disease Control, an estimated 76 million cases of food-borne illness occur each year in the United States as a result of the mishandling of food by workers. In addition more than 500,000 people are hospitalized each year and at least 5,000 people die as a result of food-borne illness.
            The CDC reports that 90 percent of reported cases of food-borne illness are related to poor food-handling practices involving improper holding temperatures and poor personal hygiene.
            The Business and Industry Training Department at Shawnee State University offers the ServSafe Certification course on a quarterly basis.
            For more information on SSU’s food safety certification program, call Covert at (740) 351-3171, toll free at (866) 672-8778 or e-mail bcovert@shawnee.edu.