AgriLifeExtensionStatistics indicate that food borne illness continues to be a health issue in the United States.  Each year, 1 in 6 Americans will become sick, 128,000 will become hospitalized, and 3,000 will die due to a food borne illness.  If under the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) jurisdiction, each food establishment is required to have one certified food manager on site.   Food manager certificates are valid for 5 years.

If you or someone you know needs this certification or your certificate is about to expire, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Brown County, will be offering a professional food manager certification training course.  This program will be offered for $125 on August 24-25 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the county Extension office located at 605 Fisk Avenue in Brownwood. Cost includes training, materials, light refreshments and a national food manager certification examination.  Pre-registration deadline is August 5, 2015.

This program is designed to not only prepare food service managers to pass the certification examination; it will provide valuable education regarding the safe handling of food.  Almost 50 cents of every dollar Americans spend on food is spent on meals prepared away from home.  Therefore, careful attention to food safety will help keep customers safe and satisfied.

Food borne illnesses are estimated to cost thousands of dollars in lost wages, insurance, and medical bills.  With these statistics, knowledge of how to prevent food borne illness is essential.  The benefits of improved food safety include:

· Increased customer satisfaction

· Improved relationships with health officials

· Prevention of bad publicity and law suits due to food borne illness

By attending the course, food service managers will learn about:

· identifying potentially hazardous foods and common errors in food handling

· preventing contamination and cross-contamination of food

· teaching and encouraging personal hygiene for employees

· complying with government regulations

· maintaining clean utensils, equipment and surroundings

· controlling pests

Food borne illnesses can be prevented by following simple food safety practices.  For more information about the course, please contact Kim Miles at 325-646-0386 or kamiles@ag.tamu.edu.  Registration form is available on the Brown County AgriLife website at http://brown.agrilife.org/events/.