Oct 5th ~ All About Safe Food Handling


"Hello! and Welcome to ________, May I take your order?" is one phrase that many of us have uttered in our lives at one point or another.  In fact, it is estimated that 1 in 3 American's first job was in fast food/restaurant related services.  With the current US Population above 332,000,000 and rising, that means approximately 110,000,000+ of us have at one point or another....had our fingers in someone else's food. GROSS! (You know it happened...)

That being said, I think we can all agree that safe food handling education is super important when it comes to first time job seekers striking out on their own to find gainful employment in the highly demanded industry of food away from home.  

Therefore, this last week our girls group took part in a educational course about safe food handling and learned many reasons why it is important to practice these skills, both in a workplace and at home!

Learning the areas on hands that germs most like to cling to!

There are currently over 3.4 million employed in the American fast food/restaurant industry. This is because the average American eats out about 5 times per week (more in city/urban regions) or about 260 times per year - job security anyone?  With so many behind the counter interactions per year, you can see why it's important we take food handling safety very seriously! 

Look at it in another way. The CDC states that approximately 1 in every 6 Americans (48 million) will contract a foodborne illness each year, with 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths contributed to foodborne illness annually.  You seeing my point behind food safety education?

Our girls sure did! 

Classroom learning about Food Safety

So what all is covered in a Food Safety Course?  Great Question!  We learned about:

  • Temperatures foods should be cooked to or held at to be considered "safe"
  • The 'Danger Zone' temp where bacteria and molds like to grow (40-140 F)
  • How to clean and sterilize your work space and tools
  • Safe usage of refrigerators 
  • What foodborne illness is and how it can be spread
  • How to properly store foods to prevent illness/waste
  • Why and how best to wash your hands before working with/serving food
Most memorable was the handwashing activity! 

After she washed her hands - "Germs" still present

Each girl was given a little squirt of "germs" to rub on their hands, and then told to go wash and return for examination.  Even though they scrubbed for what seemed like eternity (more than most people ever would even when leaving a bathroom!) they returned to find 'germs' still visible under fingernails, in skin creases, on shirt sleeves, and even on phones, faces, and more places they touched!  

We also showed an example of cross contamination from touching a remote before washing, and touching a different remote after washing (poorly) to show that germs will spread even when I think I 'washed good enough'.  Needless to say, they were grossed out, but not as much as they were when we told them about the researcher who studied contamination of toilet germs on surfaces when a potty is flushed with the lid left up.  

Note to Self - Throw away toothbrush...

Noticing "Germs" splashed to sleeves, faces, phones. All examples of cross contamination.

At the end of the course each girl was given a short quiz over materials.  Passing the quiz resulted in them being awarded their Food Handlers Safety Certificate, which can be used in resume credentials to help them standout when applying for their first food related jobs!  All the girls passed!

Although a course meant for food industry workers who need training, the materials covered can be just as useful for home food preparation.  This course is offered on demand for a nominal fee through Colorado State University Extension Services.  To learn more about the course or how you can sign up for one please contact course presenter, FCS Agent Ann Duncan at 970-249-3935 for more info!

Thank you to both Ann Duncan and her Intern Jenny for presenting this course to our Girls Group!  

Sources:


I am a STEM/k12 Educator with Colorado State University Extension. I love working with youth and encouraging them to participate in many forms of hand on education! Overall, our goal is to promote positive youth development and encourage youth to pursue higher education after high school.

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