ServSafe - A course for anyone who eats anything

January 6, 2012

How can housewives, chefs, waiters, and waiters make life safer?

They can enroll in the ServSafe course offered at Pamlico Community College, Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6 – 8 PM, January 23 – February 13.

Though originally designed for those who work in commercial establishments where fresh food is handled – “Housewives who took this course would be surprised to learn all the unsafe practices that are part of the routine in our homes,” – according to Tammy Rodriguez, Environmental Health Specialist with the Pamlico County Health Department.

Rodriguez, who has a degree in Environmental Science from Pamlico Community College and a bachelor’s in Management & Organizational Development from Mount Olive College, is considering going for her doctorate when she completes her MBA studies this summer in Health Care Administration from Ashford University. She will be the instructor for this series of classes open to the general public, not just to food handlers.

According to Rodriguez, this course explains why practices are unsafe, something just as important for the chef at home as the staff in commercial food establishments. “This course tracks the science of food handling instead of just listing rules of what to and what not to do. That’s why it’s so important for anyone who handles fresh food.”

Noting that anyone who eats actually handles fresh food, she pointed out the advantages for acquiring the knowledge that will be imparted in these classes. She emphasized that the proper handling of food is important to every single person.

“By learning and implementing proper practices around fresh food, employers get extra credit on their health inspections, but that’s not the major reason for this course. We are interested in people being safe from food-borne illnesses. That’s our primary concern,” she said.

She added, “We teach proper hygiene which includes; proper hand-washing procedures, safe food handling, the importance of proper temperatures, the right cleaning procedures, and the impact of food-borne illnesses. The course goes into detail on a number of processes that contribute to the preparing and serving of safe food. Some of the topics are proper construction and maintenance of food handling areas, pest control, and proper storage.

Commercial food handlers or anyone from the general public can enroll. Contact Richard Garrett at PCC, 252-249-1851 × 3015, rgarrett@pamlicocc.edu.