A food safety certificate is also called the food handlers certificate. This certificate is awarded to people who handle food right from chefs to servers to workers in food establishments to food establishment owners. The food-safe certificate bc is awarded to these food handlers upon their completion of the food safety training course. In today’s day and age, it is important for all professionals in the food handling businesses to undergo food safety training courses. When workers go through food safety training courses, they can gain very good knowledge and skills required to handle food safely in food businesses.
The benefits of food safety training for workers in the food business
Read on further to know the key benefits of food safety training for professionals in the food handling business!
- By going for food safety training courses, workers can understand the importance of maintaining personal hygiene
- When employees go for food safety training courses they can easily understand their legal obligations when it comes to food handling
- By going for food safety training courses, professionals can learn the correct ways to store, prepare and cook food, correctly
- By going for food safety courses, workers can understand the different causes of food poisoning and this can help them in knowing different ways that can keep their customers safe from bacteria of all kinds
- Going for food safety training courses ensures that workers will understand how to implement different types of pest control measures
Why is food safety training deemed to be so important?
- When you take all the different factors into consideration and look at the bigger picture then you will realize, that it is an absolute no-brainer for food business owners to train and certify the food handlers in their business. The cost of food safety training for employees is actually a very worthwhile investment for the long-term health and growth of the business.
- In the food handling business, there exist a wide range of potential hazards and these hazards can prove to be of very serious consequences for the customers as well as the business and the employees of the business. Two major health risks for people who work in the food handling environment are food-borne illnesses and food allergies.
- It is estimated that every year around 4 million people suffer from food-borne illnesses in Canada which means 1 out of 8 people in the country. It is estimated that 11,000 such people need to be hospitalized and out of them nearly 200 dies each year.
- Now we come to food allergies, which is another very grave concern for food businesses. It is estimated that around 3 million people in Canada end up suffering from one sort of food allergy or the other and the numbers of this are expected to rise in the future.
- These health risks can prove to be very costly for all parties concerned but the good news is that most of these risks can easily be avoided. These risks can easily be avoided because it has been found that most food-borne illnesses and allergies happen either because of the poor hygiene of the food handlers or inadequate cleaning and sanitization of food preparation equipment and surfaces.
Why is it important for all food businesses to ensure that their workers have a food safe certificate?
- It is important for all food business owners and managers to ensure that their workplace environment follows the safest and best food handling practices. In today’s day and age, food businesses looking to thrive and prosper should do everything in their power and ability to ensure that they protect their customers from all sorts of harm. In addition to all the other reasons, it has been seen that if you make food handling mistakes then it can prove to be very costly for your business. You might be issued fines from a health inspector that might run into thousands of dollars. That’s not all, you might also be issued with a court summons and if you happen to be a habitual offender and history-sheeter then your repeated violations might force you to close your business.
- You need all your workers to have a food safe certificate bc because the results of the health inspection will be made publicly available and this means that you will need to post the inspection notice or report at the entrance of your business. This means that if the report is damaging or unpleasant in nature that it will discourage potential customers from entering your business and this will augur very poorly for the economic prospects of your business. Businesses have had to face losses of millions of dollars due to food-borne illnesses outbreak and if you don’t intend to be a victim or another statistic of this, then you should ensure that all of your workers undergo food safety training and earn a food-safe certificate bc, at the end of the training.
Who exactly needs a food safety certificate?
- It is a law in certain provinces and territories in Canada that requires all types of food handles to be trained in food safety. The requirements of food handler certification are set and enforced at either provincial or municipal levels. Thus, it is imperative upon all food business owners and managers to ensure that they have a very good understanding of all the important laws in their territory or province which can help them in ensuring that their business is adhering to federal, provincial, and municipal laws relating to food safety on all levels.
- There is a law in many provinces and territories that asks food businesses to ensure that they have at least one handler with a food-safe certificate bc in an overseeing capacity in different areas of the premises where food is either prepared, processed, served packaged, or store, during all the normal hours of the operation. It is important for all food establishments and businesses to ensure that they certificate someone who handles the food in their business.
Where exactly does food safety legislation apply?
- It is a common misconception among many people who think that food safety legislation applies only to hospitality businesses. This couldn’t be further away from the truth. Many business owners are surprised to find out that their business is considered to be a food business by law. This includes anything from hotels to cafes to catering businesses and even casinos, groceries, bakeries, supermarkets, delis, and even butchers.
- The most surprising part is that charities that are often distributed or serve food are also subject to the same kind of regulations and requirements. This applies to canneries, breweries, childcare, hospitals, and even hospices.
- The fact of the matter is that if you intend to serve food of any kind, then it is very important for you to employ food handlers in your business. Aspiring professionals in the hospitality or food businesses can get a lot more opportunities in this industry if they have a food-safe certificate bc.