According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the United States each year, resulting in an estimated 5,000 deaths. About 95 percent of all foodborne illnesses are caused by mishandling of food—mistakes often related to poor temperature control or poor sanitation.

Dana McElroy delivers educational programs that help participants prepare food safely, whether it’s in the home or in a restaurant. Opposite: Washing your hands frequently is one of the best ways to avoid foodborne illness.

Understanding how to safely handle food is more important than ever in today’s food industry. As consumers demand fresher and more convenient foods, companies are developing new processes and technologies. “The food industry is becoming more sophisticated,” says John Floros, head of the food science department. “We have new methods of delivering products to the consumer. Food processing, for example, is taking on a new meaning. Today, processing can mean taking fresh vegetables, washing them, chopping them up, and putting them into a bag for a ready-made salad. Cooking foods can destroy many foodborne pathogens, so processing fresh foods for raw consumption raises new concerns. But at the same time, our science and understanding is improving, and we know things we didn’t know before. It’s critical that we apply this knowledge and educate the food industry workforce—the people who take into their hands the safety and well-being of Pennsylvania’s consumers.”

For years, Penn State Cooperative Extension agents throughout Pennsylvania have helped reduce the risk of foodborne illness by conducting educational programs for food handlers. Now, because of a new state law, these programs have taken on even more importance. The Food Employee Certification Act (FECA), passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in 1994, affects all food processing and retail operations, including grocery stores and restaurants, that are licensed through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Each of these establishments must have one employee in a managerial position certified in safe food-handling practices by July 2003.

In response to the law, the Department of Food Science initiated a statewide effort to implement a food safety certification course using the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe® curriculum. “Our agents have always taught food safety courses based on ServSafe,” says food safety specialist Dana McElroy, “but it’s been on a volunteer basis. They might get 10 or 12 people a couple of times a year. With this new legislation, 100,000 people may need training. We needed a program that would meet this demand.”

Upon learning that the Capital Region of Penn State Cooperative Extension was considering a regional certification effort, McElroy and colleagues developed a pilot project for the seven-county region. The effort involved extensive collaboration among Cooperative Extension, Continuing Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and county extension agents. “This really involved thinking outside the box for everyone because these different parts of University outreach hadn’t collaborated this way before,” says McElroy.

The first group of food handlers completed the 16-hour course in fall 1999, and in fall 2000 Penn State launched a statewide program. So far, more than 1,500 people have completed the certification course, which is offered at 22 locations across the state.

“The program has been a great success,” says Michelle Rodgers, director of cooperative extension and outreach for the Capital Region. “It was truly a collaborative partnership involving all of the region’s extension offices, the Department of Food Science, and the Division of Continuing Education.”

Feedback from course participants shows that they are taking their knowledge back to the workplace, putting it into practice, and sharing it with their co-workers. “They’ve changed their behaviors and are more conscientious about food handling, food temperatures, washing hands, and other practices,” says McElroy. “That’s exactly what we want—for the knowledge to be passed on to employees. It’s called the ‘train the trainer’ approach.”