For many years, food safety education has only been of a high priority during a crisis mode, but educating consumers about food safety is one of the best preventive strategies. Each year, the United States has as many as thirty-three million illnesses that are food relates and 9,000 people die as the result. Many people think they have 24-hour flu but they are really experiencing a case of food borne illness. For high risk populations such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems and chronic disease; food borne illness can be life threatening and lethal.

The Southern University Ag Center believes that a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against the spread of food borne illness. We currently provide Food Safety training and seminars using the USDA's Fight Bac! Curriculum and we also provide Food Safety Certification for small business owners and other public establishments using the National Restaurant Association's ServSafe Curriculum.