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Union County Environmental Health (UCEH) organized and presented the Always Food Safe Certified Food Protection Manager course to a full house in October. The class was very well-received and participants were very appreciative of us for offering this training. One participant had this to say,
"I really enjoyed the class. I'm glad Union County is offering this locally."
Seating was limited to 15 and a waiting list was created for many other inquiries. Food service workers from across Union County and into South Carolina were in attendance. Participants included newly hired employees and some with over 30 years of food service experience.
Activities and breakout sessions were also included to give participants a more visual explanation of the material and provide interaction between participants.
One activity included a cooling experiment that proved how different cooling methods directly affect the cooling rate of food.
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Chopped lettuce was used to show how the temperature of cold food heats up during preparation.
Heated baked beans were used to demonstrate the cooling of thick foods.
Each food was cooled using two different cooling methods and internal temperatures were taken every 30 minutes for five hours.
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Chopped lettuce:
- Cooling method 1 - placed into covered, plastic containers directly after washing/chopping and moved into cooler.
- Cooling method 2 - ice added to lettuce directly after washing/chopping.
Heated baked beans:
- Cooling method 1 - cooled in a large pot on the counter.
- Cooling method 2 - divided into smaller containers and containers then placed in an ice bath.
 The graph above proves that using ice to cool chopped lettuce is a faster cooling method than placing the chopped lettuce directly into deep containers to cool in the refrigerator.
 The graph above proves that dividing the hot beans into smaller containers and placing the containers in an ice bath is a faster cooling method than leaving the beans in a large, deep pot to cool on the counter.
Other activities included a Glo-germ hand washing exercise, how to calibrate a food thermometer, and how to properly set up a three-compartment sink for manual dishwashing.
Participants were given two opportunities to take the online exam. A review session was offered the next morning for those that chose to retake the exam. The exam pass rate for this class was 81%.
UCEH plans to offer this course multiple times in the new year. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements.
Need Certified Food Protection Manager in-person training before the end of this year? Click here for more information.
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