Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit 7(NEPMU-7) kicked off 2016 by facilitating an 18-hour Food Safety Manager Course for seven military and civilian personnel, Jan. 26-27.

The Catalog of Navy Training Course (CANTRAC) in food safety is a two-day course required by any military member or civilian who works in a supervisory role at a food service facility.

Army, Navy and civilian personnel attended the course, which included topics on how to properly receive and store shipped food products; and background on bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi that can contaminate food and lead to foodborne illness. The course also covered safe preparation, cooking, serving and holding of food. Ultimately, the course qualifies supervisors to teach a four-hour course on foodborne illness prevention to their food service staff.

Culinary Specialist 1st Class Neidra Rogers attended the course in order to be certified to teach the four-hour version of the food safety course, a responsibility she has as leading petty officer at U.S. Naval Hospital Rota's Health Promotions Department.

"At Naval Hospital Rota we conduct quite a few educational health fairs to teach the community what we offer," said Rogers. "It is vital that our personnel preparing food know how to do so safely, and why it is so important. Regardless if you are a manager or supervisor of a food service establishment or you are just hosting something as simple as a bake sale at your command, make sure to take the four-hour food safety course to prevent foodborne illnesses."

"It was a great experience to cross train with different branches of the military during the Food Safety Manager Course," said Sgt. Keila Ortiz Cabrera, veterinary food inspector with Public Health Command District, Southern Europe. "Training and education is very important and plays a key role in promoting food safety and proper hygiene in food service facilities."

According to Lt. Cmdr. David Veenhuis, NEPMU-7 environmental health officer, the course was a huge success. "Our training petty officer did an outstanding job facilitating this much needed and critical class with short fused notice and pulled together the support of our entire NEPMU-7 team," said Veenhuis. "Prevention through education is the key to public health safety. The food service managers and their employees are our first line of defense in preventing foodborne outbreaks. These students will take the knowledge from this course back to their jobs and make their facility even safer."

For more news from Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, visit www.navy.mil/.