Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
Hampton Dumont Schools Food Service director contacted ISU Extension to provide a workshop for all food service staff in the district on food safety. Specific areas to be covered were temperature control and handwashing. Specific goals set for the workshop included:

• Participants will understand why proper food handling and cleaning and sanitizing are important action steps to prevent foodborne illnesses.
• Participants will increase their knowledge of safe food handling practices as food flows through their operations with focus on employee hygiene, contamination and cross-contamination and time temperature abuse of foods.
• Participants will be able to incorporate learned practices into their work environments as appropriate control measures.
  

Response:
A two-hour Safe Food Workshop was held at Hampton Dumont schools on September 19, 2007. 17 food service staff attended the workshop with a a fee of $35.00 per staff member. The Safe Food powerpoint presentation was presented and two activities were completed which addressed the objectives for the workshop. Participants discussed situations in their kitchens they identified could be improved, as well as steps to take to implement these identified changes.

Impact:
A three-month post workshop evaluation phone call was made to the food service director on December 19, 2007. During the phone cal,l the director listed the following changes that have been implemented during the past three months:

• Hampton Dumont schools implemented a record keeping system for temping foods following the Safe Food workshop. This includes writing the temperatures down after taking them.
• A clipboard system was developed. This has been working very well
• Thermometers are now calibrated on a regular basis.
• Handwashing has increased greatly and is taking place much more regularly.
• Colored cutting boards have been purchased. Green ones are used only with vegetables and brown ones for bread products.
• Refrigerators had not had temperatures checked regularly prior to the workshop. The food service director has added this task to cooks daily duties and these temperatures are checked at the end of each day and written down.
• To assist with cooling foods, additional cooling paddles have been purchased. Two were previously owned by the district. She has purchased three more since the workshop, as well as provided them at other district locations where they previously did not have them.
• During the workshop, a concern with faculty and students coming into the food prep area on a regular basis was discussed. This problem has been addressed and the schools refrigerators and freezers are now locked during the evening hours. This has helped maintain the kitchen facilities for use by district food service use only.
  
  

Contact:
Jill Weber
Black Hawk County Extension
3420 University Ave, Ste B
Waterloo, IA 50701
319-234-6811
jrweber@iastate.edu