In Scotland County, education helps prevent foodborne illnesses

The Jersey Mike’s staff in Laurinburg have all completed ServSafe classes taught by Sharon English, Extension family and consumer sciences agent in Scotland County. General Manager Renaughta Kee says the course helps her store meet the state’s food safety and sanitation requirements, prevents outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and gives her peace of mind.

LAURINBURG – Before social distancing and wearing facemasks became the norm to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Sharon English was working hard to offer programs designed to keep restaurant customers and employees safe.

“A foodborne illness at your restaurant affects not only your business, but your employees and your customers,” said English, an Extension family and consumer sciences agent in Scotland County. “If you have an outbreak, you might have to close and risk not being able to regain customer trust.”

To help win the battle against food contamination and foodborne illnesses, English teaches the ServSafe curriculum developed by the National Restaurant Association several times each year to area residents who serve and handle food in public establishments such as restaurants and cafeterias. The ServSafe class involves three full days of instruction on foodborne pathogens and toxins, safe food preparation and serving, sanitation guidelines for facilities and equipment, pest control, and more.

At the end of the course, students must successfully pass ServSafe’s ANSI (American National Standards Institute) accredited food safety certification exam. The certification is important because North Carolina requires retail food establishments to have a certified employee on the premises at all times. Not having a certified employee onsite when an inspector shows up results in an automatic two-point deduction on an establishment’s sanitation and food safety health score.

“The sanitation rating is often the first thing people look at when they come into your store,” said Renaughta Kee, the general manager of Jersey Mike’s Subs franchises in Laurinburg and Pembroke. “If it’s not top grade, it’s likely to be blasted all over social media. It’s one way that people have to rate the safety of restaurants.”

Kee has been sending her employees – and herself – to the ServSafe classes for 15 years, and the course is well worth the time commitment and course fee of $110, she said. Foodborne illnesses are a serious problem, affecting about 48 million Americans each year and resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Complaints that lead to a low safety rating can close down a restaurant until the issues are addressed, causing a lack of income for the restaurant owner and employees and a breakdown in public trust.

“Word of mouth is a powerful thing, and people are even more aware of these safety issues since COVID-19,” said Kee. “The course is well worth the price because you have the peace of mind knowing your customers and your employees are safe.”

The average cost of handling restaurant health and safety issues – such as legal costs and costs to fix problems – is about $75,000, according to English, which is often more than a small business can absorb.

“When you think of those costs and the risks of not being certified, this course is a good investment,” she said.

English’s last class involved eight students and seven of them passed the certification exam at the end of the course. She estimates that over 400 food service and restaurant workers have attended her classes in Scotland and neighboring counties over the past 16 years, although many have taken the course more than once because certification needs to be renewed every five years.

“COVID-19 has enlightened all of us, even though it isn’t linked to food,” said English. “People are paying more attention to sanitation and to how their food is handled. They are much more cautious and aware.”

Kee said the ServSafe program has made her employees more aware of how to prevent contamination and the spread of disease, whether it be diseases caused by e-coli or salmonella bacteria (the most common causes of foodborne illness) or COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, employees in her stores are disinfecting equipment and countertops every two hours and changing gloves and washing their hands after every customer interaction. During the statewide lockdown, the store allowed only five customers inside at a time and no one was allowed to eat in the restaurant.

She said she expects restaurants and food service businesses will need to take extra precautions for the foreseeable future, and she is glad to have English as a resource to navigate the many food safety issues she faces as a restaurant manager.

“Sharon is a loyal customer and a great resource,” said Kee. “She makes sure we know about the classes, she tells us about changes in policies, and she is always available for questions. She cares about the safety of our community and her classes are fun and interesting.”