If you work in the food industry, then you know that having a food handler certificate is a must for success. But having the certificate isn’t enough; you also need to know how to outsmart your peers when it comes to food safety. In this blog post, we’ll explain how to do just that by taking a look at the knowledge from the Food Handler Certificate and using it to your advantage. We’ll discuss the safe handling process, how to post informative infographics around the food establishment, and how to review and keep up with the latest food safety regulations.

The Safe Handling Process

Food safety is a key part of running a successful business and avoiding food-borne illnesses. It is important for everyone involved in the food service industry to know the proper processes for handling food and the right habits to ensure that food is safe for consumption. Food safety certification courses cover a variety of topics related to food safety, including identifying bad habits that can lead to food contamination. One way to outsmart your peers on the food safety course is to take the time to learn about the safe handling process for different types of foods.

Bad habits to avoid when working with food include touching, scratching, or playing with hair; wearing rings, wrist watches, or bangles; biting nails or picking noses; not covering cuts, boils, or septic lesions; coughing or sneezing over cooking surfaces or utensils; wearing dirty or soiled clothing; not washing hands after cooking or going to the washroom; snacking while working with food; keeping long finger nails or applying nail varnish; touching around the face; improper handwashing or lack of handwashing; and not following proper hand washing and personal hygiene habits. We tend to do many of these without thinking, but when handling food, it is a big no-no as it can result in person-to-food cross contamination.

By becoming familiar with the safe handling process and adhering to it, you can ensure that food prepared in your workplace is free of contaminants and safe for consumption. Having a valid food handler certificate demonstrates your commitment to food safety and helps protect public health by ensuring that certified individuals have the knowledge and skills necessary to handle food safely and effectively – and can guide their coworkers to the correct course of action if they slip up.

Posting Infographics

To make sure your peers understand the importance of food safety, visual reminders are essential. Posting infographics around the food establishment is one way to do this. Not only will it remind them of the rules and regulations they need to follow, but it also provides an engaging and visually appealing way for your peers to learn and remember the information from their food safety course or food handler certificate.

Examples of food safety related infographics include topics like the four core temperatures that must be followed when storing, preparing and serving food, common ways food can become contaminated, proper handwashing techniques, a list of common allergens and how to assist those with allergy concerns, and the main bacteria and viruses responsible for foodborne illness. By making these topics accessible through visuals, you’re helping to ensure everyone understands the importance of food safety and are taking all necessary precautions.

Review Your Knowledge

Having a thorough understanding of food safety protocols is essential in any food establishment. With that in mind, it is important to review the information you learned in your food safety course on a regular basis. This can be done by implementing group reviews of the content in a fun and engaging way. For example, you can create quizzes and games based on the material you learned while getting your food handler certificate and use them as part of your regular staff meetings. You can also coordinate with public health departments and attend any of their workshops. For online training, we have a short refresher course that can be used as a way to easily track whether employees are reviewing the most essential information. Doing this will help ensure that everyone is up to date on the latest protocols and guidelines so that the food establishment is following all of them. It is also a great way to build camaraderie among the team members, making them feel more comfortable when dealing with food safety issues. So, make sure to include group reviews as part of your food safety strategy and take advantage of the knowledge you gained from your food safety course.

Try suggesting these options to your boss at the next staff meeting, and see what would be simplest to implement. Either way, making personal commitments to doing any of these things will help you outsmart your peers when it comes to implementing all the knowledge you’ve gained from the food handler certificate.

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