Impacts of Foodborne Pathogens on Ohio Citizens
Foodborne illnesses adversely affect the health of Ohio citizens and are
costly
to the State's economy. Health
care costs associated with the care of foodborne illnesses are skyrocketing
and the impact is being felt in Ohio, as well as the whole country. Mead et
al (1999) reports an estimated 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur
in the United States each year.
The manner in which people handle and prepare food is a major reason why
foodborne illness occurs. People must alter their food handling behavior,
but they must first have the knowledge and skills that are known to
protect
food from contamination with pathogens before they have the capacity to
change their behavior. Education
provides the knowledge and skills
Ohio citizens need to reduce incidence of foodborne illness and to
reduce the impact on health care costs.
Ohio
State University Extension offers numerous
food safety education
opportunities to the citizens of Ohio through
offerings
of the Family and
Consumer Sciences Program. Regardless of the reason why
an individual handles food, either as part of their employment or at home,
there is an education program specific for their interest and need to learn
food
safety. We have developed a decision tree of
available programs to
help people identify which program is right for them.
About the ServSafe Program
ServSafe is a nationally recognized food safety training and certification
program established by the National Restaurant Association. The ServSafe
food safety training and certification program is recognized by more
jurisdictions than any other manager food safety program.
Ohio State University Extension offers ServSafe
trainings across the state
that fit every organization's needs, in a variety of training methods.
For more information about our trainings click here for future dates and locations or email
one of our certified instructors.