Food Manager Certification Training Archives

June 18, 2018June 5, 2018

What Are The Duties Of A MN Certified Food Manager?

Whether you have the title of kitchen manager, executive chef or food and beverage supervisor, we know that you have a myriad of duties that require your constant attention. You write budgets, calculate food costs, hire staff and train employees. On top of that, are the duties of a MN certified food manager. The state has outlined very specific responsibilities that help you keep the food you serve safe.

On the Job Duties of a MN Certified Food Manager

Once you complete training and gain your food manager certificate, the Minnesota Department of Health requires you to perform the following duties:

Identify food safety hazards in your facility
Implement procedures to prevent food-borne illness
Perform food safety training and insure a person in charge (PIC) is present when food is prepared
Monitor food preparation and take action to correct procedures to protect the public from food-borne illness
Conduct inspections to ensure proper food handling occurs during regular operations

As a MN certified food manager, your obligations go beyond the day-to-day operations of your business, and you must keep the food your operation serves safe. Identification of hazards is your first step towards food safety, but you must act on your observations. Nearly every one of the requirements for food managers can be seen as a reaction to the hazards that you have identified.

Proper implementation of procedures goes a long way to preventing the spread of food-borne illness. The key to effective food-safety protocols include training, monitoring and a keeping written track record for reference. It does no good to simply train one or two employees and let your procedures spread from there. Take the time to train your entire staff on proper food-handling techniques, especially those that might be unique to your establishment and the type of product you serve or sell.

Finally, you must follow up on your identification and procedure implementation by monitoring day-to-day operations to ensure procedures are followed properly. Conducting periodic self-inspections of your facility is also a great tool to monitor how food is handled. Be thorough when you conduct your self-inspection. Act as if you were your local health inspector and check every aspect of your facility. Conduct a verbal review with your employees and make sure that any potential hazards are being dealt with properly.

Do you have any tips for keeping track of your duties of a MN certified food manager?

January 29, 2018February 12, 2018

Customized Food Handling Training Courses

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?

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?

September 19, 2017September 9, 2017

Certified Food Manager Training For Multiple Employees

Benefits of More than One Certified Food Manager

Minnesota food code requires food service businesses to have at least one ServSafe manager on staff. If you own a restaurant or any other type of food preparation facility, you may wish to consider the benefits of having more than one supervisor or staff member undergo online certified food manager training.

Benefits of More than One with Certified Food Manager Training — Copyright: kurhan / 123RF Stock Photo

The Benefits of More than One Certified Food Manager

We see many positives when it comes to going beyond the minimum and having multiple ServSafe trained employees. Some of these positives include:

Greater food safety coverage
Scheduling flexibility
Trained staff available for promotions
Protection of your financial bottom line

Having extra employees with the knowledge that online Certified Food Manager training provides will go a long way towards keeping your guests safe from food-borne illness. The knowledge of how bacteria spreads and infects those who consume tainted food is key to stopping it from happening in the first place.

Hedging your bets with several certified food managers gives your business more flexibility when it comes to staffing. If your head chef or top supervisor takes an extended vacation, another team member can be ready to step up. This also makes it easier to fill any vacancies. If you encounter a situation where your manager has to vacate his position for any reason, you have key personnel ready to take their place without the need for training, certification or going through the long process of hiring a new supervisor from an outside source.

Finally, the more knowledgeable your staff the better they can protect your bottom line. Trained personnel will know how to prevent waste and how to store food properly. They will also make fewer food handling mistakes, preventing cross-contamination and the loss of food that has not been handled in a safe manner. When you’re serving food that is fresh and free of pathogens, you’re patrons will know the difference and you’ll gain more returning customers.

Does your food service business have enough coverage? If not, we gladly offer online ServSafe training and can create instructor led courses tailored to your needs.

July 25, 2017July 7, 2017

MN Food Manager Certification Training and Menus

Whether written in chalk on a sandwich board or displayed in elegant fonts in a leather bound folder, menus exist in nearly every restaurant around the world. They also play an important role in food safety and preventing the spread of food-borne illness. In a recent food manager certification training session we engaged in a discussion about what style of menu best promotes food safety, and this week we’d like to share our findings.

Food Manager Certification Training for Keeping Menus Safe

If a restaurant places menus on the table, guests inevitably pick it up. Sometimes food spills on menus and used eating utensils come into contact with the surface. Each of these things potentially transfer bacteria onto these menus that can cause food-borne illness. Different types pose different levels of risk, and some of the menu solutions we’ve looked at include:

Paper
Laminated
Overhead signs
Digital

Some food managers use disposable paper menus to prevent one guest from spreading an illness to the next. This is effective only if the menus are disposed of after each diner uses them. Paper menus come with the added cost of the regular purchase of paper goods and the time it takes to print them before, after and even during service if supply runs low.

Laminated menus last longer than paper menus, but an increased risk of spreading bacteria comes if cleaning is infrequent. We’ve visited restaurants where laminated menus feel slick and greasy and may not have been sanitized. Laminated menus beat paper as far as cost effectiveness goes, but sanitation should occur between guests.

From a food manager certification training perspective, an overhead sign poses no real food safety threat to guests. This or a sandwich board offers a good solution for establishments that take orders at a counter rather than provide table-side service.

Many restaurants experiment with the use of digital menus. These range from a tablet left by a server or a touch screen permanently resting on the table. Using a device as a menu may raise operating costs, but they give your customers a unique experience as games and videos give them extra entertainment while waiting for food to arrive. It helps speed up service during busy times as guests can place an order without a server’s assistance. The screens of these need cleaning often as guests will frequently touch them.

Do you consider the spread of food-borne illness when deciding what type of menu to use in your facility?