Health

Germ City

Germ City is a traveling exhibit that promotes hand washing. To request a hand washing presentation, please contact the UI Extension, Adams County office at 208-253-4279 or email adams@uidaho.edu

Master Food Safety Advisor Program

UI Extension offers the Master Food Safety Advisor Program to teach individuals how to safely preserve a variety of food products. After completion of the coursework, participants volunteer 30 hours of service to teach and share reliable, research-based food preservation information with others in their community.

Application

Anyone with an interest in food preservation and food safety can apply for the Master Food Safety Advisor Program. Individuals with little or no previous food preservation experience are welcome. Applicants must be interested not only in improving their own knowledge and skills, but willing to share their knowledge with others.

A limited number of applicants are accepted each year on a first come, first served basis.

Training and Commitment

The Master Food Safety Advisor Program is divided into two phases:

Phase one includes 30 hours of classroom instruction. Participants are required to attend each class taught by Extension educators and advanced food safety advisors. Each session includes demonstrations, lectures and a hands-on preservation lab where you will make preserved foods. Homework, readings and learning checks are used each week.

Topics include:

• Food safety
• Canning acid foods (fruits, tomatoes)
• Canning low acid foods (meats, vegetables)
• Making jams, jellies & preserves
• Pickling
• Dehydration
• Freezing

*You may choose to complete only Phase one for an additional $250 ($390 total). Preference will be given to individuals completing both phases.

Phase two includes 30 hours of hands-on food preservation community service.

Participants must complete 30 hours of volunteer community service. Service opportunities include answering phone calls, assisting with and/or teaching classes, staffing booths and making displays.

Certification

After completing 30 hours of classroom instruction and 30 hours of volunteer service, the participant is certified as an Idaho Master Food Safety Advisor (Master Food Preserver).

Cost

A $140 fee covers the cost of a binder, reference materials and food/supplies used in class.

Accepted participants who are unable to participate in 30 hours of volunteer service will be charged an additional $250.

Time and Location

The course is offered at the UI Extension, Ada County office. Classes start mid-April and continue through the end of May.

Preserve@Home

This web-based food preservation class teaches individuals how to safely preserve a variety of food products. Participants learn how to produce high-quality preserved foods and explore the science behind food preservation and food safety.

Classroom instruction is delivered online through eXtension, monitored and facilitated by UI Extension educators. Preserve@Home can also be taken as a correspondence course for those without Internet access.

Lessons

Each lesson includes online text that can be downloaded and printed, an online bulletin board (forum) to facilitate student discussion, real-time chat to interact with classmates, videos and quizzes.

Required Lessons:

• Causes of Foodborne Illness and Prevention
• Basis of Spoilage and Canning Basics
• Canning Acid Food (fruits and tomatoes)
• Canning Low Acid Foods (vegetables, meats and fish)
• Canning Specialty Foods (jams, jellies, preserves, salsas and pickled and fermented foods)
• Drying and Freezing

A final exam is given at the conclusion of the course, with a certificate of participation awarded to students scoring 70 percent or better.

This course is available at other times and for groups upon request.

For more information, please contact the UI Extension, Adams County office at 208-253-4279 or email adams@uidaho.edu.

Ready Set, Food Safe

This program teaches food safety to high school students, as it applies to Idaho food service settings.

Learn about food hazards, appropriate cook times and temperatures and more.

Upon completion of a final exam, participants can receive an Idaho Safe Food Handler Certification.

To request a Ready Set, Food Safe DVD of the 9 lessons or to request a guest speaker, please contact the UI Extension, Adams County office at 208-253-4279 or email adams@uidaho.edu.

Eat Smart Idaho

Eat Smart Idaho is a UI Extension nutrition education program to help limited-resource adults learn to stretch their food dollars and provide tasty, low-cost and healthy meals for their families.

Please browse the UI Extension Eat Smart Idaho website for additional information and resources available for download.