Greenville County Schools Only District in Nation to Earn National Food Sanitation Award

From the Greenville County School District:

School food service operations across Greenville County prepare food using the same high safety standards as NASA when they prepare food for space flights. That is what led the GCS Food and Nutrition Services to earn national recognition for its safe handling of food from the time it arrives at the school through its delivery on the lunch line. The Leadership Award for Systems Improvement was presented by NFS International, a world leader in standards development, product certification, education, and risk-management for public health and safety.

Making proactive changes in the way food is handled began several years ago, said Quentin Cavanagh, Marketing and Training Specialist for FANS. “We began to implement more in-depth safety procedures, like increasing the number of times we check the temperature of food,” he explained. “We also take food samples every day from every item on the food line. Every food sample is recorded with the item, time, date of sample, and expiration date for its use.”

The process, known as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), is used on everything from meats to rice, melons, and vegetables. It also includes a la carte items like pizza from Papa John’s and sandwiches from Chick-fil-A. “What separates us is the way we document everything that happens in a school cafeteria,” said Diane Knapp, Food Service Manager at Travelers Rest High.

There are seven steps to HACCP: Identify food safety hazards; identify critical control points (for example, receiving and preparing the product); establish critical limits; monitor critical control points; establish corrective actions; establish procedures to ensure the system is working properly; and establish effective record-keeping.

The HACCP food safety plan includes time limits that food can remain in the cooler or freezer. “Unused food can remain in the freezer for 30 days and in the cooler for 3 days. After that, we throw it out,” said Cavanagh.

Training has been a key component to the success of the program. Training began with small groups of employees to ensure that every employee was knowledgeable about the stringent requirements of HACCP. Trainings are currently conducted every six weeks by eight training managers who visit their assigned schools to train each school staff.

Cavanagh explained that new employees are also required to complete Serv Safe training. “The Serve Safe training teaches basic food safety procedures like hand washing, and sanitizing surfaces,” says Quentin.

###

From the Greenville County School District:

From the School Cafeteria

At Travelers Rest High, 95 percent of students eat lunch from the school cafeteria. One reason is the large selection that is available every day – about 12 entrée choices. Another reason is that the school cafeteria is set up like a food court. Students choose from four food lines with a variety of choices every day.

Food Service Manager, Diane Knapp, explained that students and families had input into how the cafeteria would look after a remodeling effort last year. “We invited the community to provide us with memorabilia from their years at TR,” she said. “We created shadow boxes with old year books, photographs, and cheerleading uniforms so the students could identify with the school’s history.”

Diane and her Assistant Manager, Rhonda Edens, enjoy showing their support for the Devildogs to encourage the students. “We like to participate in homecoming activities, food drives, and Spirit Week. On Fridays, we decorate the salad bar with the Devildog paw print made out of purple cabbage,” she said. “They get a big kick out of that.”