Food Safety Training Gives Your Brand a Competitive Edge

Canadians are getting more serious about food safety. Many municipalities now make it possible for the public to view the results of food safety inspections online at any time, putting crucial information into the hands of thousands of potential customers around the country. Instead of worrying about not passing your next food safety inspection, you can instead use food safety training to ensure that your food service establishment never has to worry about inspection results again. Additionally a food safety incident can mean multiple negative reviews on various platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Food safety training is becoming more and more important to foodservice businesses from a marketing perspective, so it’s important that you and your staff know how to use it to gain a competitive edge.

 

With cities around Canada now posting the results of food safety inspections online, the public is more aware than ever before of when their favourite local restaurants fail, or when there are infractions found by inspectors. Many of these food safety inspection databases contain the restaurant's name, the date of inspection, type of inspection, the result of inspection, and a count of critical and non-critical infractions. Users now have access to information about what these infractions were and the actions taken by the health inspector. Inspection result databases also contain an up-to-date history of inspections, allowing customers to see how often their favourite establishments are being inspected, what the results of their past inspections have been, how often they’ve passed or failed, and what types of infractions have been found.

 

Now that the public has instant access to in-depth information about how restaurants and food service establishments are handling food safety, training has become more important than ever before. Additionally, the province of Ontario has recently passed the Food Premises Regulations that require at least one employee with food handler certification to be on site at all times - it can be expected that other provinces will soon follow. Without the proper training being provided to food handlers and other employees, businesses are now at risk of being fined for these infractions, and in the event of a failed public health inspection, prosecuted, closed down, and publicly embarrassed.

 

Food safety training is the most effective way to provide employees with an understanding of food safety guidelines and regulations, and how to go about ensuring that food is being prepared safely. Food safety training also educates food handlers on common causes of food contamination, including cross-contamination, the temperature danger zone, and improper hygiene and storage. It can also teach food handlers how to reduce food waste, eliminate errors in the kitchen, and improve efficiency. Food safety training is most effective for employees when it employs engaging experiential and visual learning techniques, ensuring that it will resonate with food handlers rather than merely go in one ear and out the other. Infographics and other resources make it possible for kitchens with language barriers to still effectively train their staff on handling food safely.

 

Taking food safety seriously is a great way to give your brand a major competitive edge, as it shows customers that you and your employees are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and responsible. Failing a safety inspection or getting customers sick because of sloppiness and carelessness can sink even the best restaurants, instantly eliminating the goodwill and customer trust that you’ve carefully cultivated over the years. From a marketing perspective, ensuring that your employees receive food safety training is one of the best things you can do. It will allow your brand to build and maintain a positive reputation and will save you from ever having to do damage control in the event of a serious food contamination event, or an embarrassing failed food safety inspection.