Food handler course: Preventing foodborne illnesses in the community

By Jasmine Carbajal

Montana State University Hill County Extension FCS/4H Agent

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the lead coordinator between public health partners to detect foodborne illness outbreaks. According to their 2015 Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks report, foodborne diseases due to known pathogens are estimated to cause 9.4 million illnesses each year in the United Sates. In 2015, there were 902 foodborne disease outbreaks reported in the nation that resulted in 15,202 illnesses, 950 hospitalizations, 15 deaths and 20 food product recalls. It is vital to practice basic food safety guidelines to prevent a foodborne illness in our homes and our communities.

The Food Handler Course by ServSafe is a free class that covers the following topics: Basic Food Safety; Personal Hygiene; Cross-Contaminations and Allergens; Time and Temperature Control; and Cleaning and Sanitation.

The course is open to any and all people who work in the food industry, which can include restaurant workers, concessions staff, food booth vendors and food handlers at community events. Food safety is important in Montana because The Department of Public Health and Human Services reported 177 cases of salmonella and 132 cases of E. coli in the state in 2016.

“The food handler class provides valuable information and skills to help you protect yourself and the public. Not only is the class important for everyone’s safety, but the bad reputation from causing a foodborne illness can be damaging,” said Hill County Sanitarian Sadie Johnson. “In fact, the cost attributable to foodborne illnesses in the United States ranges from $1 billion to $10 billion per year, $2.6 billion for salmonella alone.” 

There are five food handler classes coming up in the Timmons Room in the Hill County Courthouse at 315 Fourth St., June 29, 8-10 a.m. or 1-3 p.m.; June 30, 9-11 a.m.; July 3, 6-8 p.m., and July 8, 5-7 p.m.

People completing the class receive a food handler certificate that shows when they took the course. The classes are free and people can register by calling the MSU Hill County Extension office at 265-5481, ext. 2333, or by emailing Jasmine at [email protected]/.

People can also follow the MSU Hill County Extension Facebook page to stay informed of more Food Handler classes and other MSU-Extension programs in Hill County.