A little personal attention can make a huge difference.

Food safety class participation at Panhandle Health District dwindled significantly after the state Department of Health and Welfare began offering a convenient and free Food Safety class online a few years ago. So, PHD re-evaluated how it provides training.

Idaho law requires that at least one person on duty during any shift at a food establishment has taken and passed a food safety class. Ideally, that one person is the manager. The class offers information on food-borne diseases, maintenance and operation of most common food service equipment, hygiene and much more.

"There was a clear correlation between the online class starting and inspection results plummeting," says Kristina Keating, coordinator of PHD's food safety program. During a restaurant inspection, "We'd ask an open-ended question about food safety practices and it'd be met with a blank stare."

PHD started the live class again a few months ago, and now it's free.

"We're already seeing inspection scores go back up," said Keating. "I think they needed more practical information on why the food regulations are the way they are.

"In a perfect world, everyone on a single shift would have taken the class."

The two-hour class is as relevant at home as it is in a restaurant. The class focuses on the five primary risk factors of preparing and serving food:

* Improper holding time/temperature - Some foods are potentially hazardous if they're not kept at a maximum of 41 degrees or a minimum of 135 degrees. Any food prepared and stored must have its preparation date marked on it. Do you want to eat spaghetti sauce that's two weeks old?

* Personal hygiene - Even clean hands carry bacteria, so hand-washing often with warm water and soap is important. Sick employees must stay home and some illnesses must be reported.

* Contaminated equipment - Cooking equipment needs washing, rinsing, sanitizing and air drying at the right temperature. Surfaces on which food is prepared must be non-porous, smooth and easily cleanable. Who wants a tomato cut on a cracked cutting board?

* Inadequate cooking - Some foods must reach a certain internal temperature during cooking to kill pathogens. The dangers of undercooked chicken and pork are well-known, but did you know leftovers also need to be reheated to at least 165 degrees to be safe?

* Food from unapproved sources - Foods prepared or processed at home can't be sold or served to the general public. Save your canned beets for your family, and if you're unsure about any food you're served outside the home, call PHD at 415-5220.

"If people let us know they have questions about products, we can check them out," said Keating.

The five primary risk factors are just the beginning and each factor contains much more important information. Education is the food safety program's main tool.

"Education goes a long way," said Keating. "We focus on education over enforcement whenever we can."

PHD's food program staff teaches the food safety class. Students who pass receive a food certification card. The class is available in all PHD offices by special arrangement and the first Thursday of each month in the Hayden office. For groups of five or more, the food safety staff will teach a class at the food establishment. For information, call 415-5220.