The Benefits Of Food Safety Training

A food safety course aims to give participants the knowledge they need to be safe and hygienic when handling and preparing food. It also aims to teach basic hygiene practices and the legal requirements of food storage and handling. This course is applicable to any business that deals with food and is relevant to the foodservice industry. This course has many benefits for both the student and the business owner. Below are some of these benefits.

Prevention of foodborne illness

Many forms of foodborne illness are preventable. Food safety regulations are enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the local public health authorities. Some diseases are occupational in nature and may affect food preparation, serving, or poultry processing workers. OSHA addresses foodborne illnesses in specific OSHA standards for construction and general industry. These courses provide the tools necessary to prevent foodborne illnesses, including guidelines on proper handling and sanitation.

Toxins, bacteria, and parasites are the most common causes of foodborne illnesses. However, chemical contamination can cause both acute and long-term illnesses. These illnesses are extremely serious, often fatal. They also require immediate medical attention, especially in people with weakened immune systems. Foodborne illnesses are caused by several factors, including improper preparation and contaminated equipment. In addition, improper handling and sanitation can lead to a contaminated product.

Improved hygiene behavior

One study reported that food handlers’ hygiene behavior improved as a result of a food safety course. The study used self-reports by participants to evaluate their hygiene practices, which were often higher than actual practices. Although knowledge and self-reports are important for measuring changes, researchers’ observations of actual practices may be more reliable. The results of this study are discussed below. The study also identified areas for improvement.

Across different food premises, the amount of knowledge about proper hygiene varies greatly. The financial constraints of small and medium-sized businesses may result in poor hygiene. Medium-sized dairy companies exhibited poor microbial safety performance and failed to meet hygiene requirements. Additionally, high-volume operations may lose productivity and perform worse in safety management and ingredient control. Therefore, the study also emphasized the need for high-quality food safety training.

Lower production cost

There are many benefits to a food safety course. For starters, food safety plans can save a business thousands of dollars a year. Additionally, they can ensure that a company’s products are safe to consume. Third-party audits can cost upwards of $24000 USD, and a food safety course can help reduce this expense. It’s also important to consider how much time a food safety course can save a company.

Implementing a food safety plan requires time. In addition to consulting fees, new employees must be trained, which costs money. A small business may have a one-time investment of a few hundred dollars, but a large company can expect to pay upwards of three thousand dollars per employee. New employees must be trained, and the cost depends on the type of course and travel. But even if these costs seem prohibitive, the benefit to an organization’s bottom line is worth it.

Reduced raw material wastage

Food safety course participants can contribute to the reduction of food waste by understanding the sources of the different types of waste streams. For example, the food waste that is not discarded may be separated into discrete waste streams, which can be held back for further analysis. Furthermore, they can understand the differences in nutrition and functional value of each type of waste. In the food industry, reducing the amount of waste is a crucial part of a business’ sustainability strategy.

While the focus of food safety courses is to reduce food waste, the benefits are much more widespread than that. By repurposing food, businesses can reduce raw material wastage. The food industry loses an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of food each year, equivalent to PS1.1 billion. According to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), food waste can be classified into two main streams: human waste and material waste.

Lowers raw material wastage

An effective food safety training program can reduce waste and maximize profits. Waste streams should be separated to determine their nutritional or functional value. Training for food business operators will reduce waste and increase profits. Reprocessing food is an important part of a sustainable food system, but it poses certain challenges to food safety. Food safety training should ensure that food production processes do not create new sources of biological hazards. The course will teach students how to prevent food from becoming contaminated during processing.

Inefficient working procedures and employee training are two of the main causes of food waste. According to a Brunel University London and Ghent University study, 11% of all food processing waste is due to human error. Besides, there are unforeseen events, natural disasters, and unplanned downtime that can result in monumental product losses. This is why a food safety course is an essential tool for food manufacturing companies.