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Government Cuts Will Impact Food Safety, Expert Says 

Government Cuts Will Impact Food Safety, says Fidelity Safety & Training, a California Food Safety Training Expert

gI_117384_fidelity-safety-training-garth-maijalaFidelity Safety & Training, a California food safety training company, advises local restaurants and food providers that they are still responsible for making sure food is safe for consumption in spite of cuts coming from the federal government. Fidelity Safety & Training is offering a new series of certified food safety manager courses and exams for 2013 — all of which include state approved certification examination.

Fidelity Safety & Training, a California food safety training consultant, is alerting restaurants and food handlers on important industry news: The U.S. federal government is preparing to cut more than 2,000 food facility inspections by the Food and Drug Administration in order to balance the budget, according to a statement from the White House.

Slated to take effect March 1, the cuts will mean less vigilance over food safety and could have an impact on public health. “These reductions could increase the number and severity of safety incidents, and the public could suffer more food borne illness,” according to a White House memo released Feb. 8, 2013.

With the government poised to cut back on safety inspections, it falls to restaurant owners and individual food handlers to keep their customers safe, and prevent the devastating loss of business associated with an outbreak.

“It’s essential that employees are aware of the risks and take measures to prevent illness and keep customers safe. Proper training and supervision is one way to accomplish this goal” says Garth Maijala, a trainer at Fidelity Safety & Training.

Central California based Fidelity Safety & Training is offering a new series of certified food safety manager courses and exams for 2013 — all of which include state approved certification examination. Since 2000, California law has required each retail food facility to have at least one owner, manager, supervisor or other person certified.

Certification is simple: The half-day seminars are taught regularly in San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Bakersfield, Visalia and Bishop and train food service managers and food handlers how to protect against food-borne illness outbreaks, reduce business liability risks, and improve overall food quality. Certification is valid for five years in California. The regular price to attend is $119 per person. Visit FidelitySafety.com for discounts and schedules.

In addition to food safety manager training, FS&T is now offering web-based food handler training and certification for all California, Texas, and Florida food handlers. Employees involved in food preparation, storage, or service are required to hold a valid food handler card. This includes wait staff, chefs, cooks, bussers, dishwashers, bartenders, hosts who handle food and beverages, and management personnel.

Employees with a valid certified food safety manager certification are not required to have a food handler card.

The online course is approximately one to two hours and available at a discounted rate of $12.95 per person at CalFoodHandlerCard.com.

Every year food borne illnesses:

  • Sicken about 48 million Americans — 1 in 6
  • Sends 128,000 Americans to the hospital
  • Kills 3,000 Americans

 

Preventing cross-contamination is key in preventing food borne illness, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control, and food handlers are often directly to blame for norovirus outbreaks. For more information or to schedule your training, contact FS&T today.

About Fidelity Safety & Training:
Fidelity Safety & Training is a privately held company specializing in safety training and loss control consulting for private, educational and governmental institutions. With more than 25 years of experience, FS&T can handle everything from routine, daily issues to major concerns of managing an effective loss control and safety program. More than 4,500 private and public agencies in 23 counties have contracted with FS&T for loss control training and safety services.

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About the author: Publisher Scott Brennan

Scott Brennan is the publisher of this newspaper and founder of Access Publishing. Follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, or follow his blog.