Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
An outbreak of foodborne illness is harmful to the image of restaurants and other establishments that serve food to the public and can have short or long term effects on the health of individuals. The risk of foodborne illness, however, can be controlled in food service establishments if employees know how to safely handle foods.

Response:
ISU Extension offered ServSafe a food safety training course developed by the National Restaurant Education Association over a two day period to provide 8 hours of training. Participants were offered the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge by taking the 90 question certification exam to obtain certification documentation that is valid for 5 years. The ServSafe training is based on the 2005 Iowa Food Code.

Impact:
Eight individuals completed ServSafe training in May/June and took the certification exam. All eight individuals passed, averaging correct answers from the exam domains as follows: 30 of 36 questions on foods 7 of 9 questions on cleaning/sanitizing/maintenance 5 of 6 questions on monitoring food 2 of 2 questions on temperature measuring devices 2 of 2 questions on food allergens 1 of 1 questions on high-risk populations 4 of 4 questions on legal/regulatory issues 2 of 2 questions on facility layout/design 4 of 5 questions on training employees The average class score was 85.54% of questions answered correctly.

Contact:
Patricia Anderson
West Pottawattamie County Extension
3501 Harry Langdon Blvd - Careers Bldg
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
712-366-7070
pander@iastate.edu