Training tools available to promote food-safety education

Restaurateurs are gearing up for National Food Safety Education Month in September by taking advantage of the free training materials at www.servsafe.com/nfsem.

The National Food Safety Education Month materials include downloabable posters and games. The free materials are based on the NRA's ServSafe food safety training and certification program. The materials are designed to communicate food safety concepts quickly to employees. Activities can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

Virginia Petrancosta, National Restaurant Association marketing director, offers 10 ideas for how operators can spotlight their food safety education efforts this September:

1. Conduct a food safety training class for all employees.

2. Conduct a “High-Risk Customers: Serve Your Fare with Extra Care” quiz for employees during National Food Safety Education Month.

3. Ask each head cook/manager to review the weekly activities with staff through contests or games and offer prizes to encourage participation.

4. Promote National Food Safety Education Month in your operation’s employee newsletter or magazine.

5. Institute a “Best Food Safety Idea” contest with an award to employees with ideas to improve food safety in the company’s restaurants.

6. Place the NFSEM logo on all memos to employees, employee bulletin boards and in team break rooms.

7. Add the NFSEM logo on e-mail and invoices, and place it on tabletops and check-out stations to spread the word to your guests and vendors that you are committed to food safety.

8. Offer goodie bags to team members with thermometers, food safety pamphlets and other items.

9. Promote National Food Safety Education Month, and your involvement in this national campaign, on your website.

10. Highlight your food safety training programs to local media.

The theme of this National Food Safety Education Month is "High-risk customers: serve your fare with extra care."

The five weekly activities focus on children and food safety; how to recognize high-risk customers; foods that high-risk customers should avoid; cooking foods to the proper internal temperatures for high-risk customers; and the top five food safety risk factors.

Visit www.servsafe.com/nfsem for details.