State health officials say restaurant employees are better educated than they were a year ago, during South Carolina’s largest salmonella outbreak in history.

Changes to inspections already were under way, reports The South Carolina State, when more than 300 people became sick and one man died after eating undercooked turkey at Camden’s Old South buffet restaurant.

What makes inspections by the Department of Health and Environmental Control more effective today, officials say, is education about critical-risk factors and correction of violations on the spot, rather than giving restaurants 10 days to make corrections.

Last year, the Hospitality Association of South Carolina also introduced a program that allows restaurants to earn a "food safety seal of commitment." The seal signifies all managers working in a restaurant and at least 75 percent of its employees have been certified in food safety.

The first five restaurants — all in the Upstate — earned their seals last month.