NC A&T and UNCG Combine for Food Safety Training

June 12, 1997

Greensboro, NC: Ninety-five percent of a class comprised of students from both North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina in Greensboro recently passed a national certification examination in food safety and sanitation.

The food protection manager certification examination is offered by the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association.

To qualify for the examination, students were required to take Food Safety and Sanitation, a course offered by the NC A&T Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, and taught by Dr. Aubrey Mendonca, a microbial food safety research scientist with NC A&T's School of Agriculture.

Food Safety and Sanitation was developed by Mendonca, and covers food safety and sanitation in both food service and food processing operations. In the class, students learn how to identify hazards, assess risks associated with the flow of food from production to consumption, and ensure that high risk operations are properly controlled.

According to Mendonca, certification is a great asset for students who intend to pursue careers as managers in the food service industry. "Numerous restaurants and other food service establishments are aggressively seeking managers who can assist in raising the quality of the operations and increase profitability by implementing proper food safety procedures," said Mendonca.

Those students who passed the examination are now recognized as instructors who can offer the certification course to food handlers and other employees in the food service industry.

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For more information, please contact Dr. Aubrey Mendonca, NC A&T School of Agriculture, (336) 334-7328.