Food safety training is essential.
Food safety is still a matter of common sense for some food businesses. This can be seen in their food safety training policies. While a common sense approach to food safety might work at home, where you are the only one who can harm you, more is needed when you provide food to the public.
There are many reasons this is true. You can own, operate, manage, or work in a food company.
- Health Inspectors hold you to a higher standard.
- You must comply with all federal, provincial, and municipal laws and bylaws.
- You could face financial and legal consequences if you don’t handle food safely.
- You could face a fine or closure if you fail to adhere to food safety and hygiene standards.
Safety hazards, such as broken glass, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and toxins, are a significant concern for food businesses. Food businesses are full of safety hazards, including broken glass, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and toxins. You can protect your customers, your company, and yourself by ensuring ongoing training and education in food safety.
Your customers are protected from food safety hazards by training them
To protect your customers against food poisoning, allergies, and other potential health hazards resulting from eating contaminated foods, you must provide adequate training in food safety to all food handlers within your company.
FOOD POISONING
Health Canada reports this every year:
- 4 million Canadians are sickened by food-borne illnesses
- Over 11,000 Canadians are currently hospitalized
Most food-borne diseases in Canada are due to food handling errors, poor hygiene, and contaminated food preparation surfaces. Everyone involved in food handling must follow these guidelines to prevent food-borne illnesses.
- Understand how food can be contaminated and the various types of contamination
- Know about high-risk foods and potentially dangerous foods
- Understand the causes of foodborne illness (bacteria and toxins, viruses).
- Learn how to store, thaw, and prepare food safely.
- Know how to clean and sanitize surfaces and equipment.
- Understand the importance of good personal hygiene and proper behavior in the workplace
Food safety training is a must. You can be confident that your employees have the knowledge and skills to handle food safely and maintain high standards of hygiene and cleanliness. A strong Food Safety Plan and trained, certified Food Handlers are key to food safety in your company.
FOOD ALLERGIES
Anaphylactic shock caused by food allergies results in approximately 3,500 Canadians being admitted annually to the ER. About a dozen of these people die. Research shows that most allergic reactions to food occur outside of the home (e.g., Restaurants, fast food, and other types of food are all at risk for allergic reactions.Every employee in your company must follow these steps to protect customers from potentially life-threatening allergic reactions.
- Food allergies can cause serious health problems and should be treated with caution.
- Know the most common food allergens and understand that allergens can occur in any food.
- Communicate with customers, employees, and management to ensure safe meals are prepared.
- Know how to recognize signs and symptoms of allergic reactions and what to do when you are in an emergency
- Learn how cross-contamination occurs and how you can prevent it
If you want your food business to succeed, it is essential to ensure safe food handling. Your livelihood depends on your business’s success and growth, whether you are the owner, manager, chef, or server. You’re wasting your time and reducing your chances of earning a living.
Training in food safety is a good idea for businesses
Consumer Reports National Research Center survey found that dirty tables, utensils, and restrooms were the most common complaints from diners. Close behind were Food Handlers who had sloppy appearances or poor hygiene. These complaints outweighed those about poor service or the quality of food. Customers put off by untidy servers, and crusty forks will not be forgiving about undercooked chicken or fingernails in their salad.
Food safety problems can cost you money and ruin your reputation. This, in turn, will affect your business’s long-term health and profitability. It is important to remember the following:
- If a customer returns food they believe is not cooked correctly, smells bad, or has been contaminated by physical objects (e.g., hair, glass, and staples.
- Food Handlers who need to learn how to stock rotate can lose money.
- You can lose money if your business is infested by pests attracted to food not correctly stored or if the premises need to be cleaned up and sanitized.
- Negative online reviews and embarrassing health inspection reports on government websites can damage your company’s reputation. This could result in a loss of revenue.
- You can lose money if you fail to pass your health inspection or are subject to fines.
- If you are a “just a server” within a business, you could be held legally liable for causing damage to a customer.
You can make a difference by investing in food safety training and ensuring that your employees have a valid Food Handlers Certificate.
- Protect your brand and reputation
- Avoid negative online reviews, customer complaints, and media scandals
- Reduce operational costs associated with food waste, meal comps, and pest eradication
- Avoid costly fines and business closure
It’s a great way to ensure everyone is trained in food safety.
Food safety training is a legal requirement.
Training in food safety is crucial to the success and sustainability of any food business, no matter if it’s a restaurant, cafe, or corner shop. This is also a legal requirement. If you offer food to the public, you must adhere to all food safety regulations and laws in your territory or province. Many food safety regulations and laws vary from one province to the next. In most provinces or territories, at minimum, one employee must be present during business hours. You are required to show the Food Handlers Certificate to the Health Inspector upon request. Learn more about regulations and food safety laws in your territory. To ensure compliance, you can hire Certified Food Handlers for your business or ensure that every person who works with food is issued a Food Handlers Certificate from an approved provider. It’s simple — you can get your Food Handlers certificate online.
