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Tested Advice On Handling A Food-Borne Illness Outbreak For CFPMs
Minnesota has had no major food-borne illness outbreaks in the last few months. However, in 2023, Minnesota was at the center of a salmonella outbreak that killed two people in our state. While we hope that your establishment is never the cause of a food poisoning case, we felt it necessary to discuss what CFPMs should do if a food-borne illness outbreak occurs.
Most customers will never know what you do behind the scenes when your food is being served safely and free from contaminants. However, if your guests begin getting sick, the public will quickly learn you have had food safety problems.
CFPMs and Food-Borne-Illness Outbreaks
The first thing any certified food protection manager should do if a guest becomes ill is assess the situation. Find out exactly what your guest consumed, and make sure to examine any of the remaining product in your inventory. If it is evident that your supply has become contaminated, stop using it immediately. Ensure it’s stored at the right temperature and hasn’t come into contact with compromising sources. If you have stored it properly, you may wish to contact your supplier to inform them that you have received a contaminated product.
If an illness spreads beyond a single guest, it could indicate a more serious situation. The certified food manager should collaborate with the local health department to identify the cause if there is a suspected food-borne illness outbreak. It’s important to keep in mind that the health department is there to help you ensure the safety of your food for your guests. By being honest and not concealing any information from them, they can offer valuable assistance in addressing food safety issues that have resulted in your customers receiving contaminated food.
Finally, consider bringing in a professional to provide your staff with a refresher course on food safety. Safe Food Training can tailor a CFPM lesson plan to address your specific situations. For example, SFT can create a segment to handle a suspected food-borne illness outbreak. We can even come to your place of business to train your entire staff.
Fix It and Prevent a Recurrence
When a food safety issue affects the public, immediate and dedicated action is necessary to fix the situation and prevent it from happening again.
We never like to see any restaurant or food producer in the news due to a food-borne illness outbreak. Quality training and diligence are the keys to food safety. Feel free to contact Safe Food Training if you would like to schedule specialized training for your staff.
The Truth About Custom Food Safety Certification Training
If you’re a restaurateur who owns or manages multiple locations, then you know what a hassle it can be to manage all of the required food safety certifications. In contrast,our trainers make it easy to get all of your team’s certifications/re-certifications up to date. We come to you and deliver a custom group food safety certification training session for all of your employees, and we can administer the testing for new food safety managers who require it.
The Benefits of Custom Group Food Safety Certification Training
By having our trainers come to your facility to provide customized food safety certification training, you can enjoy three significant benefits:
- Convenience
- Cost
- Customizable training
Basically, our on-site options eliminate the need to worry about coordinating the schedules of all staff members who require certification. We are able to work around your unique schedule, ensuring that every staff member that needs certification is able to attend. Additionally, scheduling group training at your restaurant may be more cost-effective. Rather than paying individual fees for each staff member, we are able to offer a group rate that keeps the expense of training all of your staff to a minimum.
Built to Address Your Unique Business Needs
At Safe Food Training MN, we offer customized food safety certification training sessions that are tailored to your unique business needs. Unlike online food safety courses or regularly scheduled classes, our trainers come to your facility and work with you to identify and address any issues specific to your operation. During the training session, we cover unique aspects of your business that are not normally addressed in basic training courses.
Additionally, we can design either a ServSafe or NRFSP training course according to your needs. Then we include any information in your sessions that you feel you or your employees could use more training on. Our knowledgeable trainers will make sure that you’re aware of the most current rules and procedures for any situation.
Our custom food safety certification training sessions are not just for restaurants. We can design a course aimed at:
- school lunch programs
- retirement facilities
- food production outlets
- or any other type of business that requires unique food safety training in MN
Our training sessions cover unique aspects of your business that are not normally addressed in basic training courses.
Our custom food safety certification training sessions are not just for restaurants. We can design a course aimed at:
- school lunch programs
- retirement facilities
- food production outlets
- or any other type of business that requires unique food safety training in MN
Our training sessions cover unique aspects of your business that are not normally addressed in basic training courses.
Do Group Training Sessions Work?
Colleen Fairbanks, Lead Food Services Specialist at Osseo Area Schools, had this to say about our group training services: “We had Safe Food Training come in and do our training because they were able to come to us and tailor the training to what our managers needed in order to get their MN food managers license. I would recommend anyone use Safe Food Training because they will tailor the training to what you specifically need in your department.”
Private Onsite Food Safety Management Training Revisited
For the past year and a half, food production businesses have relied on online food safety management classes as a primary source of training. Now that we can return to normal activities, we’re seeing food safety manager candidates return to the classroom and the opportunity to bring certification classes to your local food business can be expanded through private onsite food safety management training.
Private Food Safety Management Training Onsite
While making sure you have certified food protection manager coverage for your facility via online or classroom training meets the standards and provides a wealth of knowledge to students who take the courses, many food businesses can gain even more benefits through a customized food safety management class. Some perks include:
- Training multiple CFPMs at the same time
- Saves travel time by having the course at your location
- Scheduling on your time
- Unique training tailored to your business
Convenience is one of the biggest benefits of customized training. If you can provide the site for food safety management training, the staff that attends will know the location well and you’ll be able to schedule around their training accordingly. With remote classes, you may have to work around an already set class schedule, limiting your flexibility to send employees who require certification. Onsite customized food management training works on your timetable giving you the scheduling advantage.
At an in-person food training session, you learn everything you need to know to pass the certification test to become a CFPM and keep the food you serve safe, but a customized training session can offer a more directed training session. With a customized training session, your staff will not only be able to pass the certified food protection manager exam, but they’ll also learn how to directly apply the knowledge they’ve learned to the type of food business you operate.
Finally, private food safety management training offers large food businesses the opportunity to prepare multiple candidates for the CFPM exam. If you have multiple locations or require several CFPMs, an onsite class can train them all at the same time.
Are you interested in private food safety management training at your facility? Get more about Safe Food Training customized training classes here.