Does Food Safety Certification Make Restaurant Staff Know More? Yes

More than half of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States are linked to restaurants or delis. To prevent them, many health agencies encourage or require restaurant kitchen managers — and sometimes workers — to be certified in food safety. The idea is that certification makes people know more about keeping food safe. A study by CDC's Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) tested that assumption.

Image from CDC's summary of the study.

What the study found

Managers and workers who were certified in food safety were more likely to pass a food safety knowledge test than those who weren't. Passing was also more likely among staff whose primary language was English, and among those who worked at chain or larger restaurants, had more job experience or had more job duties.

What it means for prevention

• Certify managers and workers. Certification is linked to knowledge, supporting efforts to encourage it.
• Reach staff with limited English. Food safety training should meet the needs of employees with limited English speaking and reading skills; the Food and Drug Administration offers educational materials for retail food employees.
• Help small, independent restaurants. Make sure their managers can get food safety training and are encouraged to use it.

About the study

EHS-Net is a federally funded collaboration of federal, state and local environmental health specialists and epidemiologists working to understand the environmental causes of foodborne illness. Related CDC summaries look at outbreaks and certified managers, certification and critical violations, and ground beef preparation.

Sources

Based on "Food Safety Certification and Knowledge," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a plain-language summary of an EHS-Net journal article; a work of the United States government in the public domain.