La Salle County Health Department to host 30th annual Food Service Seminar

The La Salle County Health Department will host its 30th annual Food Service Seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, at Senica’s Oak Ridge on U.S. 6 in La Salle.

Registration will take place from 8 to 8:30 a.m., and everyone is welcome to attend.

The seminar will feature speakers from Zink Foodservice, Bell Laboratories Inc., the Edgar County Health Department, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Streator Fire Department, according to a news release from the La Salle County Health Department.

Topics will include food contact surfaces, pest control, building relationships between regulators and rural food producers, IDPH program updates and fire safety, according to the release.

As part of National Food Safety Education Month, this event highlights the importance of preventing foodborne illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 1 in 6 Americans, or 48 million people, get sick from foodborne diseases each year, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the release.

To help prevent foodborne illness, the CDC recommends following these four key steps when preparing and handling food:

• Clean: Wash hands, utensils and surfaces often.
• Separate: Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs away from cooked food and fresh produce.
• Cook: Use a food thermometer to ensure food reaches a safe internal temperature.
• Chill: Refrigerate perishable items and leftovers within two hours, or within one hour if exposed to temperatures above 90 degrees.

For more details on food safety, visit cdc.gov/food-safety.

To register for the seminar, call the La Salle County Health Department at 815-433-3366 or visit lasallecountyil.gov.