Do Managers Need Food Safety Training?
Food safety is an important issue in the life of any food service business. It can make or break your reputation.
In this blog, we’ll examine the importance of managerial food safety training, including why food managers are pivotal to food safety, whether such training is legally required, and the benefits of food safety training for managers.
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 restaurant operations: 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.
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 statistics, food managers can save lives by ensuring 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 and master food safety fundamentals.
Do Managers Need Food Safety Training?
Yes, 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.
Some jurisdictions also require managers to complete food allergy awareness training.
Benefits of Food Safety Training for Managers
The importance of managerial food safety certification should be driven home by how common it is for states, counties, and cities to require food safety training programs for restaurant managers.
But let’s talk about the tangible benefits of manager training.
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.
Formal training is necessary because 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 like hygiene protocols. In a broad survey of establishments across the country, they found that not only did employees have gloveless contact with food in 46.3% of restaurants, but roughly 75% were out of compliance with handwashing practices. Additionally, less than half of surveyed restaurants followed recommended sanitization and time-temperature control practices.
This isn’t just a matter of helping you pass your health department 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.
How to Meet Food Safety Manager Training Requirements
In most jurisdictions, you can meet managers’ food safety training requirements by earning ANAB-accredited Food Safety Manager certification.
First, you need to locate a training provider – like us! – certified by the ANSI National Accreditation Board and the Conference for Food Protection (ANAB-CFP). This food safety manager training typically takes 8 to 10 hours, after which you need to pass the ANAB-CFP certification exam.
ANAB-accredited Food Safety Manager certification is one of the most widely respected food safety training programs for restaurant managers, so it’s also the recommended course of action when there are no regulatory requirements.
That said, please note that a few states, counties, or municipalities require you to complete a specific state-approved course instead of ANAB-accredited training. Check your state and local jurisdictions’ regulations to be sure you’re meeting the current requirements.
Get Food Manager Certification Online
As a food manager, you’re already juggling so many responsibilities that squeezing a traditional food safety training course in can be hard. A rigid class schedule and round-trip commute certainly don’t make it any easier to fulfill your requirements.
As an ANAB-accredited training provider with over 20 years of experience, we can empower you to complete your Food Safety Manager training – and even take the proctored certification exam – on your own schedule and from the comfort of your home or office.
Want to increase the food safety knowledge of your entire team? Check out our Food Handler courses, which often meet regulatory requirements where they exist.
Get started today!
