Food Safety
In FY 2025, AgriLife Extension’s food safety education programs reached over 21,400 Texans through online and face-to-face delivery methods. These programs provide comprehensive training to food service managers and other employees, representing a collective annual wage base of more than $204 million.
Food Safety Education Program
Led by AgriLife Extension, the Food Safety Education Program aims to reduce foodborne illnesses by providing mandatory training for food service workers and educational resources for consumers, hunters, cottage food producers, and farmers market participants. The program includes a Certified Food Managers course and a Food Handlers course, both accredited by the Texas Department of State Health Services. These courses cover essential safety principles related to food preparation,
storage, personal hygiene, facility maintenance, and pest management. The program also offers online and in-person education, with over 8,500 participants in FY 2025, including 6,117 online and 2,390 face-to-face attendees. The program’s impact is reflected in the high average test scores. Face-to-face participants had an average score increase of 15% and online participants had an average score increase of 9%.
Our school district has used [AgriLife Extension] for food handlers and food managers for many years. The instructors are great. The information is always up to date and a great refresher for our long time employees. I highly recommend [AgriLife Extension] as a provider of food safety education.”