As a restaurant owner, you have an important responsibility to ensure the health and safety of your patrons. This starts with comprehensive food safety training for both new hires and veteran team members.
Effective food safety is critical to protecting the well-being of your customers and complying with food safety regulations. But it’s also an important part of ensuring the quality of your product and protecting your brand reputation.
So how can you incorporate comprehensive food safety training into your broader restaurant staff training strategy?
5 Steps to Implementing Restaurant Food Safety Training
Below we outline the steps you must take in order to implement an effective food safety training program in your restaurant.
1. Create a Food Safety Culture
The first step is to create a culture where food safety is always top of mind for all team members. A food safety culture promotes safety in everyday practices through cleanliness, hygiene, and adherence to food safety regulations.
Support this culture by clearly communicating the importance of food safety to your staff. Emphasize the role that food safety plays in lowering the risk of foodborne illness, and be clear about the potentially serious consequences of failing to address this risk.
Every member of your team must feel responsible for the health and safety of your customers. Let your staff know what you expect and set up oversight to ensure they are following the steps necessary to prioritize food safety.
2. Incorporate Regulatory Standards and Certifications
Every restaurant must follow certain safety regulations. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets specific federal standards for the safe transport, storage, and handling of food. Your food safety training program must incorporate these standards.
Each state has its own food safety certification requirements. Check out the National Registry’s Guide to State Regulations to ensure that your food safety training process and your broader restaurant staff training programs are consistent with the rules in your state. And if your municipality has its own rules, obviously you’ll need to follow those as well.
Members of your restaurant may be required to complete specific certificate and certification training programs such as food handler certificate training, food allergy certificate training, food protection manager certification, and more.
3. Audit Your Current Safety Procedures
Review your current food safety procedures. Identify potential hazards such as improper food storage, cross-contamination risks, and inadequate cooking temperatures.
In addition, identify gaps in your existing food safety guidelines. For instance, make sure your current food safety procedures include detailed instructions for proper hand hygiene, sanitation of prep spaces, dishwashing, and more.
Use your audit to identify any food safety issues, fix them, and improve your training methods so they don’t happen again.
4. Pursue Continuous Improvement and Ongoing Education
Food safety training is an ongoing process.
Back your food safety training program with continuous assessment. Conduct regular inspections of your restaurant spaces, identify areas for improvement, and resolve safety lapses quickly.
It’s also a good idea to routinely review your food safety training program. Your training materials should be regularly updated to reflect the most current food safety standards.
Additionally, provide staff with opportunities for ongoing food safety education. Both new and veteran staff can benefit from regular review of the basics of food safety. Keep your staff up-to-date on food safety standards and make sure all required certifications are current.
5. Take Advantage of New Training Technology
Today, many restaurants are simplifying and improving food safety training with the help of digital training platforms. Third-party providers are making many of these software-based training solutions more affordable and more accessible.
For instance, your employees may be able to learn the latest in food safety regulations through interactive web-based workshops. Mobile training apps can help new employees review proper safety procedures while on the job. Online employee assessments can help you identify areas where more training is needed.
The right solution can even provide your employees with direct access to certification-based training and testing.
Streamline Your Food Safety Training, Testing and Certification
As a restaurant operator, you are under constant pressure to onboard new hires, keep existing team members certified, and make sure your kitchen is compliant with strict food safety rules. But you don’t have to face this pressure alone.
A trusted third-party provider can help you streamline your restaurant staff training program by making it possible for new and existing employees to train, take exams, and earn certifications — all on one digital platform.
Contact Trust20 to learn more today!
