3 Reasons to Invest in Food Safety Training and Certification

By: Gwen Lee, Senior Manager, Food Safety Programs, Food Marketing Institute

There are more than 42,200 items in a grocery store (The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2015).  That’s 42,200 opportunities to have a mishap, and it only takes one issue to damage a company’s reputation.  Food safety is the hallmark of grocers’ relationships with their customers.  The nation’s food retailers do everything to maintain shopper trust. When it comes to food safety, the best protection is prevention, and that’s why food safety training and certification is so important.

The Food Marketing Institute offers a unique, retail-specific, food safety training program for the food retail industry.  SafeMark® helps companies reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses through in-store retail solutions that focuses on training grocery managers, supervisors and preparing front-line employees for the nationally accredited food manager certification exam.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), food establishments with Certified Food Protection Managers (CFPM):

1. Are less likely to have foodborne illness outbreaks.
2. Have better food safety practices.
3. Have better ratings and fewer critical violations on their inspections.

The costs of becoming a Certified Food Protection Manager are far less than the costs associated with foodborne outbreaks.  Outbreaks can result in the loss of customers, sales and reputation; lawsuits and legal fees; higher insurance premiums; and negative media coverage.

Food safety training and certification is an investment worth making. Learn more about SafeMark® training for your grocery store at www.fmi.org/Safemark or learn more about becoming a CFPM through Prometric by watching a recent SafeMark® and Prometric Informational Webinar here.