Is It Important To Get A Food Handlers Certification?

If important, you mean, career-changing and yes, a requirement that cannot be overlooked, then you have answered the title question. The thing about food handler certification is that people think it’s a tedious requirement that one has to fulfill for the sake of employment, but the benefits of obtaining a food handlers certification go beyond the simple piece of paper that it seems it is. In fact, it’s more than just proof of your training completion; it’s proof of your competencies in food safety.

We’re all no stranger to foodborne illness outbreaks and most of the time, these outbreaks are caused by improper food handling practices at the restaurants where we eat, even at home. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 6 Americans (48 million people) gets sick from foodborne illnesses annually. With food illnesses just around the corner, it’s definitely a must for people preparing our food to be armed with food safety knowledge to the teeth. We certainly cannot risk our health—not a single bit.

Employers are also keen on hiring food handlers who can demonstrate food safety knowledge and for good reasons. According to a study conducted by the Cooperative Extension specialists in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, as much as food service managers claimed that they would gladly hire a worker who are trained in food safety. 50 percent of the participating managers also said that they are willing to pay more or give bonuses to workers skilled in food safety handling. The safety managers were also asked how important reputation and public image were to their restaurants and as expected, they responded a lot. These data only reflect the link between food safety and a business’s reputation, and how much restaurateurs place value on food safety as a means of growing their business.