Food Manager Training And When To Recall Products

Food Manager Training And When To Recall Products

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Nothing completes a freshly toasted bagel like cream cheese, but in the month of January, Panera Bread customers had to settle for a substitute. After a sample from a single batch of one of their flavored cream cheeses tested positive for Listeria, Panera Bread made the decision to recall all cream cheese products in their restaurants, regardless of production date. This week, we’d like to explore Panera’s recent decision from a food manager training perspective. Bearing in mind their efforts to keep customers safe, especially considering the number of high-profile food-borne illness outbreaks we’ve seen over the past few years.

Food Manager Training And When To Recall Products

Recalls and Food Manager Training

Panera’s press release is very clear that only one batch of flavored cream cheese produced on a single date contained a tainted sample and that no cases of food poisoning have been reported. So was recalling product already shipped and produced on different dates really necessary?

When studying bacteria in food manager training classes, we learn that Listeria is a potentially deadly pathogen, especially to the elderly, children and those with weakened immune systems. Extreme caution should always be taken when there is even the remote possibility of releasing food tainted with Listeria into the food supply. In this current case, we support Panera Bread’s decision to exercise an abundance of caution. Even one unnecessary death from food poisoning is too many.

While only one batch tested positive, there is always the remote possibility that tainted product may have snuck its way into the restaurant chain’s distribution system. In a past blog, we explored the potential fiscal repercussions of ignoring food safety protocols. Taking aggressive steps when it comes to preventing food-borne illness not only makes a great deal of sense from a safety standpoint, but from a financial standpoint as well. While Panera may have decided to take a short term loss by disposing of more product than just the batch that had been confirmed contaminated, they may have saved themselves a massive loss in the long run with their caution.

We applaud Panera’s procedures in this case. Considering what you have learned during online food manager training courses and instructor led ServSafe classes, do you agree?

Spanish Online Food Safety Certification Courses

Spanish Online Food Safety Certification Courses

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For a great number of innovative restaurateurs, food service managers and employees that work in food production, English is not their first spoken language. This often leads to challenges when it comes time to become food safety certified. Many courses are led by a talented instructor who may have a rudimentary knowledge of the Spanish language, but might not be fully able to converse with a native Spanish speaker. If you have a Spanish speaking employee in need of certification, a Spanish online food safety certification course can help them gain the knowledge they need and take the test in a familiar language.

Spanish Online Food Safety Certification Courses

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Benefits of Online Food Safety Certification Courses for Spanish Speakers

Even if a student has a good grip on the English language, they may be more comfortable studying in the language that comes naturally to them. There are certain nuances in both English and Spanish that could cause a teacher to have trouble explaining a concept to a Spanish speaker and have the student misunderstand the information. This can be especially true for food service workers who recently immigrated to the United States.

An online food safety certification course will also help by placing a non-English speaker in a comfortable environment. Online classes can be taken from the student’s home at their own pace. After the student has finished their online training, all that will be left for them is to register for a testing date. Many times this test must be taken at a specific location away from home where they have the advantage of taking it in their own language.

At Safe Food Training, we can set up online courses in both English and Spanish, as well as provide any specialized training you may require.

Customized Food Handling Training Courses

Customized Food Handling Training Courses

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The food service industry is unique in the fact that many different types of businesses fall under the food service umbrella. The training needs of a restaurant defer from the certification requirements of school cafeteria and food processing outlets may have specialized protocols for food handling training. Since many different types of facilities exist, why should the same food handling training be given to the employees of different types of food service businesses?

Customized Food Handling Training Courses

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There are many benefits to providing customized food safety training for your employees.

  • Training can be tailored to your type of business
  • Training can occur on-site at your facility
  • The appropriate certification test for your facility can be given
  • Training can occur on your time

One of the greatest advantages to arranging a customized training session is that the food handling requirements of your staff’s day-to-day routine can be addressed. It’s even more advantageous when the training occurs at your facility so that your instructor can see exactly how food safety procedures will be implemented.

With customized training, you don’t have to wait for the next ServSafe, HACCP or any other certification class and exam. You can request specifically the certification that you require, and you can work with the instructor to perform the training at a time that works for you and your staff.

At Safe Food Training, we can gladly work with you to design a course that will meet your certification requirements and help keep your food safe. We also offer online and regularly schedule training classes and certification examinations. Would a customizable food training course work for your business?

Food Safety Certification Smartphone Training Apps

Food Safety Certification Smartphone Training Apps

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Every day, the modern smartphone becomes more and more ingrained into our daily routine. Nearly everyone has one, and it is one device that never seems to be too far out of reach day and night. That got us thinking about what a smartphone can do to improve food safety not only in the food service industry but wherever we go.

Food Safety Certification Smartphone Training Apps

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Food Safety Certification Training on Mobile Devices

A quick search for food safety apps on your device’s app store will reveal that there are a plethora of food handling apps that range from at food safety tips to food safety certification preparation, study guides and practice tests. Many of these apps are free to download, while some from more official sources require a small amount of money to acquire. With this information literally at your fingertips, you can quickly find the answers or resources whenever you have a food safety question or would like to take a quick refresher course.

Before you dive head first into any food safety app, it is important to note that these apps may not be endorsed by your local health department. While they can be a valuable resource, you should be double checking any questionable material with your official food certification training guides or the Minnesota Food Code.

We’ve been having fun checking out some of these mobile resources. We can only wonder what the future of technology and food service training holds. Hopefully VR and robotic food certification instruction is far off into the future and we hang on to our need of human interaction, at least for a little while.

Do you have any apps that have helped you keep on top of food safety or make any aspect of your business easier?