Have you ever gotten sick after eating out at a restaurant? In short, this is the purpose of having a food safety system. This may be one of restaurant and kitchen owners or managers worst nightmares, making it crucial to have a system in place in order to protect guests and even your own staff from foodborne illnesses. When a thorough system is in place, along with the right training, these types of issues can be prevented. There are also a variety of other benefits when a system is in place.

At Nutri-Rific, we want to provide people seeking to become restaurant owners or managers with the necessary training, knowledge, and resources to keep their kitchen safe. When you sign up for and complete a ServSafe online course provided through Nutri-Rific, you will be certified and have all of the tools you need to understand and implement a successful food safety system.

What is the Purpose of a Food Safety System?

Not only does a food safety system protect your restaurant, guests, and staff from illness, it ensures regulatory compliance throughout the food process. One of the most recognized food safety system is HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point).

Hazard Analysis: Identifying hazards (including biological, chemical, and physical) that could be present in a restaurant or food production process and implement controls that will prevent these hazards from occurring.

Critical Control Point: Identifying certain points during the process that could prevent a hazard from occurring. For example, if chicken is cut on the same surface as vegetables, this could result in food poisoning. The critical control point would be the surface on which the food was prepared.

Monitoring: Constant monitoring should be implemented to ensure critical control points are being met, including observations and measurements.

Corrective Action: If critical control points are not being met, corrective action should take place to ensure foodborne illnesses don’t occur.

Verification: Verify that all hazards have been identified and that guidelines and plans are being effective.

Record Keeping and Documentation: When regular monitoring is being completed, keep accurate and consistent records to ensure that if your restaurant is audited, appropriate paperwork will be available and complete.

What Happens When a Food Safety System is Not in Place

Millions of people get sick from foodborne illnesses, which can cause significant damage, including:

• Customers don’t want to return to your establishment.
• Sales are lost when customers don’t return.
• Negative reviews may be left, resulting in a loss of reputation.
• There could be potential lawsuits and legal fees.
• If staff get sick, work is lost.
• Loss of staff morale.
• Increased costs of having to retrain staff.

How do Foodborne Illnesses Occur?

Typically, foodborne illnesses occur due to three reasons:

• Biological: Pathogens including viruses, bacteria, or fungi.
• Chemical: Contaminants such as cleaners, polishes, or sanitizers.
• Physical: Objects found in food such as dirt, glass, or hair.

As you can see, a food safety system can be a fairly simple process to implement, as long as food managers have the proper training and knowledge. And you can also see how important it is to have a system in place.

At Nutri-Rific, we offer ServSafe online courses and exams that can provide you with all of the required training in order to get the necessary certification. With the proper knowledge and experience, you will be in the position to effectively manage a kitchen and ensure all food is safe and guests remain healthy and happy.

Learn more about our ServSafe online programs and sign up today!