ServSafe Training

One of the most important aspects of the food service industry is the safety of the food presented to customers. In the food business, it is considered a must and should become part of the mindset of every employee in every food service venue. The best way to make that happen is to provide the best possible training available and to insist that every member of the staff attain certification.

The National Restaurant Association Education Foundation has established a program called ServSafe. It is designed specifically for food service professionals and includes all of the basic rules and procedures of safe food preparation and management. Students are taught the importance of following through on their commitment every day and are taught to be responsible for implementing everything they learn in the course.

ServSafe courses cover issues of personal hygiene, food-borne illnesses and the world of micro-organisms, the best way to manage the flow of food to insure safety, how to handle and sanitize equipment and the facility itself, and how to deal with pest control and sanitation. Students will learn about why food service workers wear aprons and how to use them to protect the food being served. They will discover that garlic-in-oil mixtures may promote the growth of micro-organisms, and what the right cooking temperature for steaks is.

The responsibility for providing the training to employees rests with restaurant management. Courses are available for both managers and other employees. Online, restaurant managers and others will find information about where to find a certified ServSafe instructor as well as information about how to have employees take ServSafe courses via the Web. There are advantages to both options. Having a live instructor means that questions can be answered on the spot, while online course work allows employees to take the program at convenient times.