Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

            For the past four years, Shawnee State University has provided state-approved food safety training awarding Food Protection Certifications. ServSafe is a nationally recognized and accredited program teaching people how to safely handle and prepare food.
            Employees need to know food safety and the critical importance of its role. ServSafe gives them the knowledge and tools to do just that.
            Some of the concepts employees will understand with ServSafe training include sanitation, the flow of food through the operation, sanitary facilities and pest management.
            “The two-day comprehensive ServSafe training at Shawnee State educates attendees on the elements of safe food handling,” said Ginnie Moore, director of University Outreach at SSU. “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.”
            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 next two-day course is $275 per person and includes lunch, book, exam and all handouts. It is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29 and Wednesday, Sept. 30 at SSU. Limited seating is available.
            For more information on SSU’s food safety certification program, call (740) 351-3171, toll free at (866) 672-8778 or e-mail twalters@shawnee.edu.