Reasons NOT to renew your Food Safety certificate
Pardon us flipping the script a little, but today we’re taking a look at the reasons people often cite when NOT renewing their Food Safety certificates.
Now we get that on face-value, quite frankly despite multiple lockdowns and a global pandemic, there still isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done that we need to. However, despite these reasons looking legitimate, we often hear of the horror stories that come from slipping standards resulting in risks to business, food handlers as well was customers. In the very worst case scenarios these this can lead to fines, court and ultimately the potential death of any who eats food unfit for purpose.
Our post today isn’t designed to shaming anyone who has thought these, but rather to put them in perspective, because as we’ll see they are not quite right. Most importantly, like your homework when you were back at school, it’s never quite as bad or take a long as you think once you sit down to do it!
“It’s too expensive”
Costs are often at the forefront of many decisions every business makes and now more than ever budgets are squeezed and saving made wherever possible.
However, training doesn’t have to break the bank. Online training offers significant savings when compared to classroom equivalents. Here at Esky our Food Safety certificate is priced below £20.
A stark reality is also that if the situation ever arises where you need to demonstrate everyone is up to date, then these training costs will seem like the best investment you ever made!
“I don’t have the time”
Everyday there are countless things that compete for our attention. Emails, phone calls, customers, the project that is overdue… With all these pressures it’s easy to think you do not have time to renew yours, or your staffs Food Safety certificates, ‘who has the time to do a training course?!’.
Our Food Safety course only takes around 2 – 2.5 hours to completed. More importantly its very flexible, allowing you to start, save your progress and come back later. Often trainees take on each module at a time and spread the course over a week. The assessment can even be retaken at no extra cost if needed.
Trainees also have access for one year, and even though we would not recommend taking that long to finish it, it’s good to know you have the time!
“I’ve already done it, I don’t need to do it again do I?”
Although renewal of training is not a requirement by law, it is highly recommended it is done regularly.
This is because quite simply, people’s knowledge and skills understandably can slip over time. Food handlers need to be reminded of key aspects of hygiene and safety that they may not easily recall on a day to day basis.
Topics such as proper food handling and storage procedures are often the one noticed by the auditing Environmental Health Officer when food handlers are out of practice.
We have even produced a range of refresher courses that are ideal for ‘top-up’ training. However, it is well worth renewing a Food Safety certificate a minimum of every 3 years, with employees whose main role is handling food potentially looking to do so more frequently.
“This stuff doesn’t change”
In fact it can! Changes in laws do happen, resulting in food handlers’ knowledge potentially being out of date if they haven’t undergone training recently.
In order to comply with the law and safely prepare food, everyone needs to have up-to-date knowledge in order to do so safely.
Thank you for taking the time to look through these points with us. We hope it has been useful and even elaborated on how these points can put staff and customers at risk.
Most important, we are here to help. If you have any renewals, or questions, get in touch here and we will do all we can to help.
