More than half of all Americans say they’ve been concerned about the safe handling or packaging of their food in the past few years. In part, this is to do with the many recalls of packaged or canned foods, while fresh produce has also been recalled or has caused illness in many areas.

Food handlers need to know what can happen when foods are contaminated with bacteria and other organisms. Offering them solid knowledge about the risks of taking shortcuts when it comes to food preparation is your best way of safeguarding your business and your customers.

The safe handling of food is imperative from start to end of the processing. Whether that food is restaurant food or foods which are being processed for use in supermarkets, safe food preparation is imperative. The food borne illnesses which can be passed across literally hundreds of users and can become quite serious.

Even something as relatively easy to handle and to cure as salmonella can be very serious for young children or elderly people. Fatal cases have been noted and must be prevented.

ServSafe training programs for restaurants, day care workers, school cafeterias and other workers who come in contact with foods on a regular basis are promoted as one of the best ways to teach food service workers about safe preparation and servicing of foods.

Learning about safe food handing is assuredly necessary, particularly when working on hospitals and with day care centers, when you are dealing with at-risk populations. The reality is that it safe food preparation and handling is necessary regardless of who you are serving food to.

The training and the programs that are used to certify food handlers in ServSafe food training programs are recognized by a national group that oversees the standards for safe handling of foods in the United States, The American National Standards Institute.

ServSafe food handlers training offers them education and guidelines about handling foods to be served to the public. They learn about the causes and the effects of these bacteria and other micro-organisms and how they can affect people. The focus of the training is on the safe and healthful handling of foods in business. Many restaurants and businesses offer the training to their food service workers simply to prevent any illness or other negative effects of the food handlers work. They are then eligible to display a card in the window of their place of business that tells the public that their workers have been trained in safe food preparation and handling. The accreditation must be reviewed every 5 years.

To date more than 3 million US workers in food handling have been issued the ServSafe certification program and testing, resulting in a certification in food handling that is an excellent boost to your resume.

ServSafe certifications are your way of telling the world that your business and your workers have been well trained. You can let the world know that your food service workers are qualified to handle foods safely and efficiently and are aware of the problems that can take place if those standards of quality are not met.