JAY — Laura Merrill, food service director for Regional School Unit 73 told board of directors at the Jan. 11 meeting she will be attending a national food safety program.

“I am honored to have been selected to attend Serving Up Science: The Path to Safe Foods in Schools at Kansas State University April 8-12,” she stated. The program is designed for nutrition professionals from local school districts and state agencies, she said.

“The purpose of this program is to help child nutrition professionals better understand the food system and the principals of food science that provide the basis for a strong food safety plan,” Merrill explained. “The program develops leaders who can establish a food safety culture within school districts across the United States.”

According to information from Kansas State University, “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.”

According to the information, upon completing this course among other things the participants will be able to:
• Initiate a culture of food safety in a school food service operation.
• Access and evaluate food safety information about food products and processing.
• Utilize key food manufacturing and processing terminology.
• Identify regulatory agencies, laws, and rules and regulations that protect the food supply.
• 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.
• Provide science-based food safety information to the school nutrition and local community.

The Center of Excellence for Food Safety Research in Child Nutrition Programs at Kansas State University developed the program in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Office of Food Safety.