Statistics indicate that food-borne illness continues to be a health issue in the United States. Each year, 1 in 4 Americans will become sick, 1 in 1,000 will become hospitalized, and 5,000 will die due to a foodborne illness.

During the past legislative session, a statute was amended that allowed the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to require each food establishment to have one certified food manager.

Recently, the Texas Board of Health adopted rules to implement this statute. Many of you have already received a letter from the Texas Department of State Health Services regarding this. Under these new rules, each food establishment permitted by the Texas Department of State Health Services must have one certified food manager. New food manager certificates will be valid for 6 years.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service, San Saba County, is offering a food manager certification training course. This program will be offered for $89.00 (for the 2 day course) on Wednesday 8/20/08 & Thursday 8/21/08 at the San Saba Housing Authority building (from 9AM- 4PM) at 1601 West Dry St., San Saba. Cost includes training, materials, and the State food manager certification examination.

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.

Foodborne illnesses are estimated to cost thousands of dollars in lost wages, insurance, and medical bills. With these statistics, knowledge of how to prevent foodborne 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 foodborne 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

Foodborne illnesses can be prevented by following simple food safety practices. For more information about the Food Manager Certification Training course of Texas AgriLife Extension Service, called “Food Safety: It’s Our Business,” call Carolyn McDowell (San Saba County Agent – Family & Consumer Science) at 325-372-5416 or 3851.