If You Don't Train 'Em, Don't Blame 'Em

No one is every born knowing how to prvent foodborne illness, and no employer can get by hoping that safety standards are known and practiced.

One of the primary responsibilities of an employer in today's foodservice industry is to train employees and retrain them and constantly remind them about safe food handling practices.

Operators also need to incorporate food safety into training on customer service, waste reduction, facilities maintenance, and employee health and safety.

In an industry with high turnover, cultural diversity, and lots of entry level workers, food safety practices must be constantly reinforced. Training should come in many forms and it should be delivered in a positive, group setting so a "corporate culture" can be established that puts food safety as a top priority for all staff, every day.

It is important that employees know why procedures are important. Employees who understand how their practices can have a positive impact on food quality, increased shelf life, and higher customer satisfaction ratings will see how what they do effects other things: job security, promotion options, satisfaction and decreases stress and mistakes.

When new policies and procedures are first implemented, resistance and mistakes can be expected. That's human nature. It is only through repeated coaching, monitoring and correction that full implementation of policies can be expected.

Training employees is a costly investment for foodservice operators, but the investment pays off in several ways.

• When employees see that their employer is willing to invest in training them, they appreciate it and that builds loyalty, which reduces turnover.
• Additionally, when employees understand how to handle food properly (receiving, storage, rotation, preparation, cooling, reheating, serving, etc.), less food is wasted.
• Quality of the end product is maximized, ensuring that the food will deliver the highest "customer pleasure" rating.
• Customer contact, including taking a moment to explain how to handle "leftovers," greatly increases customer trust and confidence, and with it, satisfaction and the liklihood they will return.

In other words, if staff isn't adequately and constantly trained to handle food properly; deliver the highest quality product possible; and increase customer confidence and satisfaction, a foodborne illness outbreak; a reduction in meals served; or a decrease in profitability are likely.

Staff and food safety are essential parts of the profit picture. Training brings them together. Repeated training ensures they won't be separated. Consistant reinforcement improves both.

Submitted by Lisl D. Wilkinson, FMP