Office of Continuing Education

Seafood Safety Workshop

November 4-6, 2009 in Pine Knoll Shores

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A NC Environmental Health State of Practice (SOP) Committee Course

Test Your Knowledge (optional)
Overview
Sponsors
Public Health Competencies
Registration

Can you correctly answer all of the following seafood quality and safety questions?

1.	More of the North Carolina public's seafood contact is in restaurants than in retail sales outlets.	T or F?
2.	The perishability of seafood is the same as for other typical restaurant foods.	T or F?
3.	Embargo authority on shellstock has been passed from the NC Secretary of Agriculture to the state health director and to your local health director.	T or F?
4.	Pregnant women should eat lots of highly nutritious tuna for good health.	T or F?
5.	Fresh shucked oysters should have a mild odor and should be plump with a creamy color.	T or F?
6.	Raw oysters, clams and mussels are responsible for 85% of all seafood-borne illnesses.	T or F?
7.	Fish is ideally kept between 30-32 degrees Fahrenheit, but one day four degrees warmer will cost two days shelf life.	T or F?
8.	Vibrio vulnificus can cause severe or potentially fatal infections in people who have compromised immune systems.	T or F?
9.	Restaurants must keep oyster tags, with certification number, harvest date and location, for at least 90 days from the date the bag was emptied.	T or F?

Check your answers

Overview

Health concerns, as well as changing consumer tastes, have increased the demand for all seafood products. North Carolina's coastal heritage has also contributed to our citizens' awareness of seafood products. As a result, "fresh seafood" is now available in each of the 100 counties of our state.

Seafood, however, has unique freshness and handling problems, when compared with traditional meat products. How do we ensure both the quality and the safety of seafood for North Carolina consumers?

The objective of this workshop is to train environmental health specialists in the areas of seafood quality and safety, thus improving their ability to identify and solve problems in restaurants and food stores. The workshop will focus on the following areas:

Food Safety--bacteria and perishability, viruses, parasites, toxins, contaminants, cross-contamination, foodborne illnesses and seafood inspection.
Handling--receiving, storage, temperature control, cutting finfish, shucking shellfish and thawing frozen products.
Quality Control--freshness indicators, organoleptic evaluation, storage procedures, product rotation, and species identification.
Shellfish Sanitation--sanitary survey of growing areas, lab procedures, inspection of processing plants, red tide, depuration and relaying.
Sanitation--cleaning and sanitizing tools and equipment, tank maintenance and personal hygiene.

We will examine unique seafood questions, such as: Where do you wash oysters? Is shellstock in need of a separate washsink in oysters bars? Should you wash oysters? Is there a need for a separate cooler for particular seafoods?

Hands-On Lab Experience--In this workshop you will have the opportunity to closely examine seafood products, learn basic species identification and learn the differences between fresh and old products.

In addition, each participant will receive a custom-designed seafood quality and safety course book as a unique, at-home reference tool.

Participants who successfully complete the entire workshop will receive 16-17 hours of continuing education credit for recertification purposes.

Public Health Competencies

The core competencies represent a set of skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for the broad practice of public health. They transcend the boundaries of the specific disciplines within public health and help to unify the profession. This course addresses the competencies listed below. Click on a competency number to view the full text.

Essential Services 1a, 1h, 1k, 2d, 3a, 4a, 6a, 6b, 6d, 6e, 8d, 8e, 9e

More information on the public health competencies.

Registration

Registration fees include all course materials for each participant, as well as two daily breaks. Meals are all on your own and not included.

Registration fees:

$125 for first participant from a public agency
$90 for the second participant from the same agency
$80 for the third participant from the same agency

$250 for participants with private industry, for-profit organizations

Test Answers

1.	More of the North Carolina public's seafood contact is in restaurants than in retail sales outlets.	True
2.	The perishability of seafood is the same as for other typical restaurant foods.	False
3.	Embargo authority on shellstock has been passed from the NC Secretary of Agriculture to the state health director and to your local health director.	True
4.	Pregnant women should eat lots of highly nutritious tuna for good health.	False
5.	Fresh shucked oysters should have a mild odor and should be plump with a creamy color.	True
6.	Raw oysters, clams and mussels are responsible for 85% of all seafood-borne illnesses.	True
7.	Fish is ideally kept between 30-32 degrees Fahrenheit, but one day four degrees warmer will cost two days shelf life.	True
8.	Vibrio vulnificus can cause severe or potentially fatal infections in people who have compromised immune systems.	True
9.	Restaurants must keep oyster tags, with certification number, harvest date and location, for at least 90 days from the date of purchase.	True
How did you do? If you didn't get ALL of these right, that's just one more reason why you should register for this important workshop!

Last updated August 19, 2009