Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced the county’s annual public seminar to inform residents and businesses on updates to the Suffolk County Food Protection Program. The Food Protection Program is designed to protect public health by establishing safeguards for the control of food and preventing consumption of unwholesome, adulterated or otherwise unfit food. Each year the county program issues approximately 7,000 food service establishment permits, conducts more than 6,000 inspections and investigates approximately 600 consumer complaints.
“This seminar is critical in ensuring the community is fully educated and has the proper information at their disposal,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “Protecting the health of our residents and reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses is a top priority of my administration.”
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services will host the seminar on Monday, March 19, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., located at 360 Yaphank Ave., Room 134 in Yaphank.
The presentation, which will last about one hour, will include information on issues such as new technology and compliance matters. These include the development of mobile food safety applications and online e-commerce portal; food preparation techniques that use reduced oxygen packaging (ROP); and new local laws regarding food allergens, carryout shopping bags, and methods for reducing risk factors for food-borne illness.
At the conclusion of the presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session that will allow ample opportunity for attendees to provide feedback and suggestions to the administrative staff of the Department’s Bureau of Public Health Protection.
The County Executive has made it a priority to provide a more convenient process for businesses to undergo mandatory food safety training. Last year, the Administration announced the debut of a new mobile application that offers food service managers the convenience to undergo food safety training in Suffolk County. This new application is offered by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services as a portable extension of its award-winning online Food Manager’s Course. The application is available free of charge on Google Play and the Apple Store. To date, more than 107,000 Food Managers have been certified since the course’s inception.
For more information about Suffolk County’s Food Protection Program, visit the Food Protection Program webpage or contact the Bureau of Public Health Protection at (631) 852-5999.
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