The Importance of Food Safety Training

When it comes to a person’s needs, food is at the bottom of the pyramid. Along with other essential physiological things like water and shelter, these things are what people need to survive, grow, and improve. 

With how important food is, it is as important for restaurant owners, kitchen workers, and food preparers to handle food as safely as possible. This is for the benefit of the people who eat there and the business.

One of the best training courses people in the food industry need to take is food safety. Let’s find out why this training is necessary and what it offers.

What is This Training?

Food safety training is a course or lessons discussing many topics. It covers food handling and storage, what to do in an emergency, and many others.

This type of training is vital for anyone who works with food. This includes people who work in restaurants, catering companies, cafeterias, and food manufacturing plants. It is also important for those who sell food at grocery stores or farmer’s markets.

The Goal

Safe food handling training aims to ensure that people working with food know how to handle it properly. It entails keeping food clean and contaminant-free. It also means cooking food correctly so that any bacteria or viruses are killed.

We can see from these two examples that one of the goals of this training is to ensure that the customers have a positive experience. However, there are many benefits that workers and business owners get from this training.

Benefits of This Training

Avoid Food Poisoning

One of the most apparent benefits of safe food handling training is that it helps to avoid food poisoning. It is a type of illness that can happen when food is contaminated.

While foodborne illnesses can range from mild to deadly, they are all public health risks. Estimates suggest that over 4 million Australians are affected each year. 

These numbers show just how important it is to handle food safely. Workers can learn how to prevent food poisoning by taking this type of food training. They will learn about food contamination, storage, and cooking temperatures.

Handle Food Allergies

Another benefit of this food training is that it can help workers to handle food allergies. This type of illness happens when someone eats something they are allergic to.

For example, a number of people are allergic to peanuts. If they eat food contaminated with peanuts, they could have a severe reaction. It could even be deadly.

Allergies As a Growing Concern

Although food allergies are less prevalent than foodborne illnesses, they still pose a threat to public health. In fact, according to the CDC, about 6 million children in the United States have food allergies.

This number is only going up too. Studies show that children’s food allergies have increased by 50% over the last 10 years.

This is why food workers must know how to handle food allergies. This food training can teach them about topics like food allergens and how to avoid cross-contamination.

Waste Less Food

Another advantage of this training is that it can assist businesses in wasting less food. This is because when food is handled correctly, it will last longer.

For example, if food is stored at the correct temperature, it will not spoil as quickly. This means that businesses can sell more food and make more money.

Avoid Recalls

Essentially, this training can also help businesses to avoid recalls. This is when a business has to throw away food because it is contaminated. This can happen if food is not appropriately handled.

Recalls can be very costly for businesses. One case in 2015 saw Australian company Patties Foods recall a group of berries due to suspected Hepatitis A contamination. The total loss in earnings reached over $4 million. 

However, the total cost was much higher due to several other factors, including: 

• Advertising the recall;
• Public relations costs;
• A call centre group to address concerns; and
• The unusable stored berries.

Overall Training for Staff

Another advantage of this training is that it can contribute to staff-wide training. This is because this training covers a lot of topics.

For example, safe food handling training will cover food storage, preparation, and handling. This training can be highly beneficial to employees.

In addition, this food training can also help to improve communication between staff members. This is because it will teach them how to properly communicate with each other about food handling and preparation safety.

This is essential as it can prevent accidents and ensure everyone is on the same page.

A Better Appreciation of the Food Industry

This training can also help employees better appreciate the food industry. It is because they will learn about the different aspects of the food industry.

For example, they will learn about topics like food production, food processing, and food distribution. This type of knowledge can be precious for employees.

In addition, this training program can also help to improve employee morale. This is because employees will feel like they are contributing to something important.

Overall, food training can be very beneficial for employees. It can help to improve their understanding of the food industry and their morale.

A Legal Requirement

In some cases, food training may be a legal requirement. This is because the government regulates the safe handling of food.

For example, in the United States, it is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has a set of regulations that businesses must follow.

If businesses do not follow these regulations, they can be fined or shut down. Businesses must ensure their employees are adequately trained to handle food safely.

Thus, food training may be a legal requirement in some cases. This is why it is so essential for businesses to make sure their employees are appropriately trained.

Good For Business

Overall, undertaking food safety training is good for business. It can help improve employee morale, reduce food waste, and provide overall staff training.

It can also help employees better understand the food industry and may even be a legal requirement in some cases. All requirements and regulations must be followed for the establishment to continue operating.

In addition, the proper handling of food gives customers the impression that workers work safely with their food and offer quality service.

For these reasons, this training is an important part of any food business.

Safe and Secure With Every Bite

Everybody needs to eat. At the same time, everyone needs to feel safe and secure with what they are eating. Food safety training not only does that, but it also helps the business and the workers grow.

Consider supplementing safe food handling training with first aid training if you work in the food industry. You never know when someone may need help with choking or wounds.

Learn more about first aid training with CPR First Aid’s Liverpool course.

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