Do Managers Need Food Safety Training?

Every year, the CDC estimates that foodborne illnesses sicken 48 million people, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. In 61% of all cases, a single restaurant can be identified as the source of a foodborne disease outbreak.
In light of these alarming statistics, it becomes more and more important to examine the role of managers when it comes to food safety. In this blog, we’ll look into the significance of food safety training for managers and how it can help prevent foodborne illnesses in the food service industry.
Managerial Role in Ensuring Food Safety
Restaurant and food retail managers serve as the hub of all activity and decision-making in the business. They influence every part of the business: onboarding and training employees, evaluating and disciplining workers, ordering and receiving food shipments, managing inventory and sanitation, setting and enforcing SOPs, and much more.
That’s why managers are perfectly positioned to ensure that food safety practices are woven into the fabric of the business. They can emphasize food safety in training and make food safety behaviors a part of their employee evaluations. Managers can ensure that food comes from a safety-conscious supplier, that deliveries are evaluated for food safety, and that items are stored and managed on-site for freshness and safety.
They can ensure that food safety protocols are taught, enforced, revisited, and revised to continually improve risk management related to foodborne illness.
But before they can do any of that, they have to learn food safety fundamentals.
Benefits of Food Safety Training for Management (and Consequences of Missing It)
A business can get many benefits from food safety training for managers, in addition to regulatory compliance for food safety in management.
The most obvious is that food safety education for management empowers them to improve food safety. FDA studies have confirmed that the on-site presence of a certified Food Protection Manager is correlated with better food safety practices.
Food safety compliance isn’t as common sense as you’d like to believe. Other FDA research has shown that most restaurants fail to consistently implement even the most basic food safety measures. In a broad survey of establishments across the country, they found that roughly 75% of restaurants were out of compliance with handwashing practices and that employees had gloveless contact with food in 46.3%. Less than half of surveyed restaurants followed recommended sanitization and time-temperature control practices.
Manager-level food safety training focuses on systematic food safety practices that help you identify and reduce foodborne disease risks. Businesses without any kind of system in place are more likely to make errors that allow for foodborne illness.
Foodborne illness can cause permanent damage to your business’s reputation, and it doesn’t require a full-blown outbreak – one person with a rumbly tummy after eating your food may spread the word, especially in the age of social media. By giving managers the tools to maintain food safety, you’re protecting your business’s reputation.
Finally, when managers complete food safety training and implement a compliance system, this often reduces food wastage (and therefore costs) as a side benefit.
Food Safety Training Requirements for Managers
As a result of the benefits and risks associated with managerial food safety requirements, many states or local jurisdictions – from Alabama to Wisconsin – require at least one “person in charge” to undergo management-level food safety training.
Some places – like Illinois – require a certified food protection manager to be on-site at all times. They’re not shy about imposing penalties if you fail to meet this requirement.
In most jurisdictions, regulations can be satisfied with Food Safety Manager certification from a training provider certified by the ANSI National Accreditation Board and the Conference for Food Protection (ANAB-CFP). This means taking 8 to 10 hours of food safety manager training and passing the ANAB-CFP certification exam.
While most managerial food safety requirements can be fulfilled this way, please note that a few states, counties, or municipalities require you to complete a specific state-approved course instead.
In addition to food safety certification, some jurisdictions require managers to complete food allergy awareness training.
Check your state and local jurisdictions’ regulations to be sure you’re completing all the required training.
Get Food Manager Certification Online
Reputable online training providers can help you get state-approved education at your own pace, when and where it’s convenient for you. As a food manager, you’re already juggling so many responsibilities that squeezing a traditional course in can be hard. A rigid class schedule and round-trip commute certainly don’t make it any easier to fulfill your requirements.
Learn2Serve by 360training can empower you to complete your coursework – and even take the proctored certification exam – on your own schedule and from the comfort of your home or office. We’re an ANAB-accredited training provider approved for this kind of regulatory training in most jurisdictions. Get started today!