Navigating Food Safety Training in Today’s Environment
Manufacturing, processing, packing, and distributing safe, nutritious, and high-quality food has always been a challenge, requiring constant evaluation of and updates to existing food safety programs. With regulations and local laws changing quickly, new employee onboarding, and more, it’s crucial for companies to invest in the food safety training needed to meet standards. When workers at any level are improperly trained or unsure of best practices, it doesn’t just hurt efficiency — it could also compromise food safety throughout the operation, resulting in recalls, lost revenue, and tarnished brand reputation.
Back to the Basics
Adopting a beginner’s mindset to food safety is key to improving adherence, because openness to learning and the desire to perfect performance are exactly what it takes to identify food safety issues and follow food safety protocols effectively. To that end, food safety training courses can benefit seasoned, long-time employees as much as it does new hires.
As experienced staff members retire at higher rates, and key positions are filled by less experienced workers, food safety training is critical to quickly getting employees up to company standards. At the same time, workers who have been at a company for multiple years can benefit from courses that reinforce the basics while building on their knowledge and experience, as well as familiarize them with new best practices.
Training becomes even more important as regulatory scrutiny continues to grow, demanding high standards from frontline workers and accelerated mid-management preparation.
The New Legal Training Requirements
Education and training are no longer optional. Some provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that were previously non-binding are now binding, including rules around education and training.
Now, all employees who manufacture, process, pack or hold food are required to have specific education, training, and/or experience that qualify them to perform their assigned duties. Management must also ensure they receive training in food hygiene and food safety principles, as well as on the importance of employee health and hygiene in relation to food, facilities, and roles assigned to them.
However, employers must find creative solutions to overcome two important challenges in the current economic climate: how to effectively train employees, and how to pay for it.
Learning One Step at a Time
Forgoing food safety training and continued education is a risk no company can afford. In addition to violating FSMA, failing to invest in employee development training could increase turnover. What’s more, you run the risk of food safety breaches, as well as potential recalls, foodborne illness outbreaks, lost sales, and eventually, severe damage to your reputation.
A different course of action in the current business climate might be to reevaluate how best to spend your already constrained training budget. Here are some ideas:
- Identify key talent you want to retain. Map the food safety training courses they need to complete to advance in their careers. Develop a timeline to cover those gaps throughout the year. Discuss these mid- to long-term educational plans with your key employees to decrease attrition.
- Identify people in key roles and map the knowledge they will require to carry out their responsibilities. Online food safety trainings allow users to learn at their own pace with excellent content at affordable prices. Even this small investment in their development contributes to a robust food safety culture and helps improve their loyalty.
- For frontline workers, try to negotiate a deal with an online training partner, including packages that allow multiple users at a discounted rate.
Food safety training must always be a priority in order to protect public health and your company’s reputation. These online trainings could be exactly what you need to build up expertise and skill in your workforce:
- Food Safety and Sanitation Online: Geared toward helping mid-level managers and supervisors in the food supply chain more effectively manage their food safety systems. Due to its unique curriculum and design, participants can select from the 24 modules and complete those relevant to their needs or responsibilities. No limit is placed on the number of modules an individual can complete.
- Food Safety and Sanitation Online – Integrated Pest Management: Eight core modules specifically designed to provide the knowledge needed to support an integrated pest management (IPM) program in a food facility.
- Food Safety Essentials: Designed to support frontline workers quickly gaining the knowledge they need to perform their jobs. This training is available in English, Spanish and Mandarin.
Learn more about AIB International’s other food safety training offerings here.
