Food Service Safety

Food safety is fundamental in the food service and retail service industry. To be able to provide food of the highest quality that meets current food safety standards requires an understanding of food service safety. Penn State Extension’s comprehensive program of resources covers food recalls, food code changes, farmer’s market food safety, foodborne illness risk factors, good sanitary practices, and more.

Foodborne Illnesses Risks and Prevention

If not handled and prepared correctly, food can easily be infected with disease-causing bacteria. To prevent foodborne illnesses from occurring, correct kitchen practices should be adopted, as well as good personal hygiene on the part of food workers. The Food and Drug Administration Food Code outlines guidelines around employee health and hygiene to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses and contamination.

More than half of foodborne illness outbreaks are linked with restaurant food, and the only way to change this is by adopting safe kitchen practices.

Foodborne illnesses can be caused by several different things. Botulism, for example, is a foodborne illness caused by a toxin produced when Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria, grows. These bacteria are readily found in the soil, and can also be present on foods when they’re being prepared. Another bacterial hazard is known as Listeria monocytogenes.

Food Service Safety and Best Practices

To guarantee the safety of the food being sold or served in food service and retail premises, management and staff need to be aware of a wide range of issues, from cross-contamination to cleaning and sanitizing and proper handwashing procedures.

To be able to provide safe food, potable water is also essential. When food is prepared, cooking it to the proper temperature destroys any harmful bacteria, so checking food temperatures using a calibrated thermometer is vital. Equipment used in the preparation of food should be well maintained, regularly cleaned, and sharpened when possible.

Food safety requirements and procedures also apply in the nonprofit sector, for example, food fundraiser events. The safety risks are just the same, but the needs of volunteers and non-profit groups are different. Penn State Extension has created a Cooking for Crowds: A Volunteer's Guide to Safe Food Handling online course to help volunteers identify food safety hazards and reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

An increasing number of people are choosing to shop at markets and farm stands because they’re able to source high-quality fresh products. Farm market managers and employees should be aware of produce safety best practices, handling produce, cleaning, sanitation, and environmental practices. Penn State has an extensive selection of Farmers Market Food Safety Resources, including a Retail Farm Market School online course.

Food Service Safety Training

Food safety training and certification have an important part to play in the food service and retail industry. Managers or supervisors whose roles require certification, for example, can enroll in the Penn State Extension ServSafe Food Safety Program. This training meets the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture requirements for the Food Employee Certification Act. According to the document, one supervisory employee per food facility is required to obtain a recognized food safety certification. The ServSafe course is also available in Spanish. To help people prepare for the ServSafe exam, a TAP Series Online Food Safety Course is also available on this site.