Story in Brief
In Georgia, there are more than 18,500 food service establishments having sales of $19.6 billion and employing more 476,500 people .In 2020, four ServSafe® Manager Certification and two ServSafe® Food Handler trainings were conducted by Family and Consumer Sciences Extension agents in Athens-Clarke, Morgan and Oconee counties. Participants must complete an exam at the end of each session and score a minimum of 75 to receive certification or a certificate. This program provides foodservice managers and employees of schools, nursing homes, senior centers, deli’s, private clubs, and restaurants information on food microbiology, sanitary food handling and storage, HACCP food safety program, pest control and safety procedures. Fifty-eight participants attended the trainings. A total of 43 percent of participants currently work in a foodservice establishment and 57 percent are high school students enrolled in a Culinary Arts educational pathway. Furthermore, 79 percent of participants manage 15 or more workers and 89 percent serve 300 or more customers. All attendees earned their Manager certification and the Food Handler certificate. As a result of the trainings, participants indicated they are very likely to improve these food safety practices.