Food & Safety Certification
Employees involved in the food-service industry are many times required to take training courses that certify them in food safety. Certification is offered by many companies and agencies. One of them is ServSafe. The company offers a training and a test in a single eight-hour session. These trainings are available at different sites around many states at least once a month. ServSafe will also visit your site to conduct trainings for groups. The certification process costs about $100 a person. Many agencies offer this certification, but check with you local health department to make sure they are recognized in your state. The following are some of the areas these certifications cover.
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Food Temperature for Storage
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Hot foods need to be cooled and cold foods need to be heated with in a certain time frame to keep them free from bacteria. Training should include instructions on reading certain thermometers at appropriate temperatures for individual foods.
Correct Shelving
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The foods that cause the greatest dangers of bacterial infection should be stored below the ones that do not. This ensures against cross contamination of bacteria that could possibly drip onto a food that does not get cooked. If uncooked chicken drips onto a salad, it could cause an outbreak of food borne illness.
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Cooking Temperatures
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The correct cooking temperatures of meats, fish and poultry are discussed at length. The correct temperatures of sauces and soups are also something you will learn. Just a few degrees off can cause major illnesses due to bacteria. You will learn how this can happen and how to prevent it.
Cleaning of Produce
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You will learn the correct produce-cleaning methods and the correct way to store these items. Cooking and handling of fruits and vegetables is covered extensively. For example, you need to know the different insecticides that are typically used on produce and how and why they need to be washed.
Hand Washing and Gloves
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The instructor will cover proper hand-washing procedures and the use of disposable gloves. It is important to know when to wear them and how often you need to change your gloves. Gloves are worn for many tasks from cooking to taking out the garbage. They need to be changed periodically throughout the day to guard against cross contamination, which is something you will learn.
Personal Hygiene
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Personal hygiene is discussed along with the proper covering of hair. Cleanliness of your clothing is another area of this training. Fingernail care and length is also an area that is important to address while working with food.
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