Serving Up Science: The Path to Safe Food in Schools

This hallmark food safety program has shared science-based food safety solutions with over 300 participants in the last five years, impacting more than 3.3 million children served by the National School Lunch Program.

Upon completing this course, the participants will be able to:

  1. Initiate a culture of food safety in a school food service operation.
  2. Access and evaluate food safety information about food products and processing.
  3. Relate basic food microbiology principles to operational decisions, such as developing and implementing the food safety plan and applying it to a variety of school food situations - field trips, athletic events and school parties.
  4. Describe the flow of meat and dairy, fruits and vegetables, and grain commodities from point of origin through food processing/production to the kitchen, focusing on situations that would apply to school food service settings.
  5. Utilize key food manufacturing and processing terminology.
  6. Identify regulatory agencies, laws, and rules and regulations that protect the food supply.
  7. Describe the purpose of food ingredients and additives used in common products associated with school foodservice.
  8. Evaluate information in the media related to current food safety issues and devise a strategy for addressing questions from the media and/or parents regarding school foods.
  9. Provide science-based food safety information to the school nutrition and local community.
  10. Plan and deliver programs that focus on employee behavior change.