Educational Model Provides Sanitation Training and Certification Across Rural Boundaries

Abstract

In rural states, like South Dakota, limited resources prompt creative approaches to- meet academic education and operational sanitation training needs South Dakota requires that all foodservice establishments to have a sanitation certified supervisor for each shift by the year 2000. To help meet that goal, the Nutrition, Food Science, and Hospitality (NFSH) Department, and the South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service (CES) provided sanitation and certification- training- for 93 studen-ts, 75 of whom participated through the Rural Television-Distance Network. Of those taking the sanitation certification examination, 98.6 percent earned certification. Statistical analyses included meaas, standard deviations, and variances. T-test analyses compared perceived knowledge levels of basic sanitation concepts before and after.training. Values for all concepts were significant. E-ffect of personal habits upon sanitation practices had a before training mean of 3.77 and an after training-mean of 4.5-9. Handwashing techniques, use of gloves for food, handling, and thawing frozen food had pre-means of 3.70 compared to post-means of 4.64, 4.54, and 4.72, respectively. Cross contamination had a pre-mean of 3.64 and a post-mean of 4.60. Follow-up work with two different student groups- compared perceived knowledge changes with examination performance scores.