Johnson agrees and says the program has added another 

 layer to the bureaucracy. "HACCP doesn't address where the 

 problems have historically occurred — during transportation or 

 at home after the product is purchased." 



Because of the HACCP plan, Johnson hired two additional 

 workers. "However, there has been no increase in the price that 

 we get for the crabmeat," he says. 



SEAFOOD SAFETY WORKSHOPS 



the seafood safety program came 

 into effect, North Carolina Sea Grant and the N.C. Cooperative 

 Extension Service have offered HACCP training workshops. 

 The FDA requires HACCP certification for seafood dealers 

 and processors when designing a HACCP plan and reviewing 

 records. 



"We have trained about 400 workers at 12 workshops," 

 says Nash. 



This summer. North Carolina Sea Grant and the Extension 

 Service will be offering new sanitation control workshops. At 

 the one-day workshop, industry workers will draft sanitation 

 standard operating procedures and develop monitoring 

 programs for FDA's key sanitary conditions, including rodent 



In the picking room, Wayne Mobley checks the temperature of crabmeat. 



Experienced hands quickly pick crabmeat from stubborn shells. 



control and clean water. 



After seafood is processed, it is handled by a number of 

 people, including restaurant workers. 



To educate restaurant workers about seafood safety, North 

 Carolina extension agents Jean Rawls and Sandra Maddox 

 initiated a restaurant safety course. With funding from a N.C. 

 Fishery Resource Grant, the agents developed a video, 

 handbook and workshop for restaurant workers. 



The course, which covers all types of seafood and every 

 stage of handling — from inspection upon arrival to serving — 

 arose from the increasing concern about the potential for a 

 public health problem in the growing coastal area. "We have a 

 lot of seafood restaurants in our area," Rawls says. 



Restaurants, which are inspected by county health 

 departments, typically employ many young people, perhaps 

 newly graduated from high school, with minimal background 

 in food service and little knowledge of the biological threats to 

 food safety. 



"This is for people who don't have that technical experi- 

 ence," she adds. 



Between HACCP and food safety training for restaurant 

 workers, Nash says that consumers should not have any 

 concerns about eating seafood. 



"North Carolina processors have a long history of 

 providing safe seafood to their customers," he says. "HACCP 

 and the restaurant food safety training initiatives will ensure 

 that North Carolina remains a source of wholesome seafood 

 and seafood products for both wholesale and retail buyers." □ 



COASTWATCH 9 



