Category: Certified Food Protection Manager

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Attractive Online Menu Ideas for Certified Food Protection Managers

Online menu design ideas for certified food protection managers

We all know how important it is for certified food managers to have a well-defined web presence, but just increasing the chances that customers find you may not lead to an increase in business. Your online menu will ultimately influence whether or not new customers will choose to place an online order from your establishment, so let’s take a look at some online menu design ideas for certified food protection managers that will increase your chances of gaining new online customers.

Attractive Online Menu Design Ideas for Certified Food Protection Managers
Image credit: VitalikRadko via Deposit photos

How to Design an Online Menu Will Help Certified Food Protection Managers to Attract Business

Some experts have suggested that new visitors will spend less than 10 seconds to decide whether to peruse your full menu or move on to the next site. When a customer leaves your online menu that quick, not only do you lose their potential revenue for that transaction, but there’s a good chance they’ll never return. Here’s a few key ideas to keep customers on your menu page and potentially place an order:

  • Clean Visual Layouts
  • Ingredient Information
  • Organization of Menu Item

While there may be some artistic license to promote your brand with your online menu, potential customers won’t sift through a jumbled mess. CFPMs should make sure that your digital menu is laid out in a way that allows for easy viewing. Remember that your online menu will be viewed on both PC’s and smartphones, so verify your format is clean on both platforms.

More and more customers are concerned with allergens and dietary restrictions than ever before. If your menu neglects ingredient information, they may leave quickly. Diners with allergies usually don’t gamble just by item description alone, so make sure you mark items that meet certain criteria such as gluten free, kosher or paleo friendly. It’s also important that certified food protection managers note in your online menu which items may come in contact with common allergens such as nuts, dairy and seafood.

Finally, make sure your online menu is well organized. Visitors won’t want to dig for appetizers, entrees and specials. An easily navigable online menu allows guests to quickly place an order without searching for items they desire.

Does your certified food protection manager have an online menu strategy?

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Cancellation Of In-Person Training For Food Protection Manager Certification

In-Person Training For Food Protection Manager Certification

2020 has certainly presented challenges for all of us trying to run a business. It has been the same here at Safe Food Training. We have done our best to navigate through all of the changing regulations and shut downs. I truly appreciate everyone’s flexibility as we have had to continually rearrange things. We have decided to suspend classroom trainings for food protection manager certification and re-certification in December and January with COVID-19 infections at such high levels.

In-Person Training For Food Protection Manager Certification

Background On The Decision To Cancel Of Our In-Class Training For Food Protection Manager Certification

As the highest rated in-person Certified Food Protection Manager training organization in Minnesota, this decision has a dramatic impact our hospitality industry customers who are required to have this certification and are more comfortable with classroom training. It also has a serious impact on our business.

We know you have had to make similarly tough decisions as the pandemic has evolved. We all have been forced to weigh the health risks to staff and customers, legal exposure, the viability of our businesses, the livelihood of staff, and/or contributing to the further spread of this deadly virus . There are no correct answers!

After careful consideration of the current data and projections of infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID-19 here in Minnesota, we have decided not to hold any Food Protection Manager Certification classroom trainings in December and January.

We do have our online recertification course for those of you who need that training. Sign up for that by clicking here:

For those who are seeking initial certification, we are holding exam-only sessions at several convenient locations around the Twin Cities and central MN. You can sign up for the online certification course and exam by clicking here:

We are hoping to resume our in-person training for food protection manager certification starting February 1st and beyond. You may register for any of those options currently on safefoodtraining.com.

Thank you all for your continued business and I hope you all are finding ways to get by this year.

Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday season.

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Valuable Tips For CFPMs Offering 2020 Holiday Buffets

CFPM presentation of COVID safe holiday buffet

In traditional times, the months of November and December see an increase in buffet dining options as larger groups congregate in restaurants and dining halls to celebrate the holidays. This holiday season is one like no other, so certified food protection managers have to take extra precautions not only to keep their food safe but abide by local COVID-19 restrictions. Let’s take a look at some steps Certified Food Protection Managers (CFPMs) can take if they choose to host a holiday buffet service.

CFPM presentation of COVID safe holiday buffet
Image credit: Alexander Raths via 123rf

Certified Food Protection Managers and Holiday Buffets

According to StaySafeMN hospitality guidance buffets are allowed as long as the establishment adheres to certain protocols. However, our first suggestion would be to assess whether it’s absolutely necessary to provide buffet service this season. With reservations required and limited seating capacity, your CFPM may wish to consider foregoing the holiday buffet for a more traditional sit-down service to better abide by StaySafeMN protocols. With the added restriction of required reservations, it’s possible that your guests can preorder their meals. This may streamline the process and reduce the risk of too many customers congregating around the buffet line.

If you do choose to offer a holiday buffet, you should take the following into consideration:

  • How will you enforce social distancing in buffet lines?
  • Will multiple guests use the same serving utensils?
  • How will sanitation protocols be put in place?

No matter the occasion, buffets tend to promote groups of people waiting in line and huddling in confined areas for extended periods of time. Even at 50-percent capacity, many restaurants may have trouble enforcing social distancing regulations. You may wish to have servers monitor the situation and release groups table by table to peruse the options at the buffet.

The use of common utensils presents a major dilemma when it comes to buffets. During regular buffet service, many unrelated guests may handle the same serving utensils. In order to avoid this common contact, we’d suggest pre portioning items on the table that guests can grab and go without digging into chafing dishes. While this may require guests to make multiple trips through the line, it reduces the risk of a potentially infected customer from spreading coronavirus through contact with utensils.

Finally, there should be rigid sanitation protocols in place. Assign specific staff members to sanitize common serving areas after each group has gone through the line.

Does your CFPMs have a plan for holiday buffet service?

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Should Certified Food Protection Managers Worry About COVID-19 In Food?

Certified Food Protection Managers COVID-19 in Food

The science behind understanding how COVID-19 spreads is ever-evolving and even though we don’t know everything about this virus, we have a general picture of how to prevent its spread. We’ve been told that masks, social distancing and avoiding large gatherings can slow the spread, but should Certified Food Protection Managers be doing anything to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 through the food we produce in restaurants and other food production businesses?

Certified Food Protection Managers Worry About COVID-19 In Food
Image credit: pickpik.com

Certified Food Protection Managers and COVID-19 Spread Via Food

In the early days of the pandemic, researchers had suggested that the risk of transmission through food was small, and a more recent study completed by the International Commission for Microbiological Specification for Foods seems to finally give us some good news on the COVID-19 front by claiming that there may not be a food safety hazard when it comes to the Coronavirus.

These findings are great news for certified food protection managers. As restaurants reopen, they now have the added responsibility of enforcing local health guidelines on top of their other duties, so it takes some pressure off knowing there’s very little chance of the spread of COVID through their food product.

The ICMSF’s study shows that since food enters the human body through the gastrointestinal tract, COVID-19 shouldn’t be considered a food safety hazard since the coronavirus’ method of infection involves contaminated air entering the lungs. According to the study, there has been no substantial evidence of cases of COVID-19 that can be traced back to food. The current theory is that traces of COVID-19 on food and food packaging will lose viability over time and even if the virus were to be consumed with food, it would be destroyed in the digestive process before reaching the bloodstream.

These findings don’t mean CFPMs can relax when it comes to food safety in the kitchen or coronavirus prevention measures. We should still be vigilant in keeping our food safe from all pathogens and providing a healthy dining environment for our guests.

Are you concerned that food may contain a hidden COVID-19 risk?