Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Lee County, is offering a one-day professional food manager certification training course on both October 29 and November 26. Training will be held in Giddings at the Extension office, located at 310 South Grimes. Registration is $105 and includes training, materials and a national food manager certification examination. The food manager’s certification will be valid for five years. This program is designed to provide valuable education regarding the safe handling of food, while preparing food service managers to pass the certification examination.

Statistics indicate that foodborne 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 foodborne illness.

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, foodservice 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

For additional information, contact Tonya Poncik, County Extension Agent, Family Consumer Sciences, Lee County at (979)542-2753 or visit the Texas AgriLife Extension Service office at 310 S. Grimes Street in Giddings.