Food safety has been an important issue in the restaurant industry for decades. Foodborne illnesses are still a major problem in the United States. The CDC estimates that each year 9.4 million Americans get sick, more than 55,900 are hospitalized, and a shocking 1,351 people die from foodborne illnesses just from known pathogens.
Although significant advancements have been made over the last 20 years to educate food service handlers about safe food handling practices, there has been no change since 1984 in the top 3 causes of foodborne illness attributed to food service handlers, those being: poor personal hygiene, improper holding temperatures, improper cooling procedures.
Since the majority of foodborne illnesses are attributed to food service handlers, and the top contributing factors are related to handlers behavior, the importance of the training food handlers receive is critical. As more people are expected to eat out more in the future, no time has ever been more important than now to have an effective food safety as a top priority. While many restaurants currently employ various efforts to ensure food safety, the fact of the matter is people are still getting sick on a daily basis and we must continue to be vigilant.