Good behavior isn’t just something parents try to instill in their children. Behavior is very important to food safety—in fact, it’s the most important responsibility food handlers have. Hygiene, time and temperature processes, and a variety of other practices are tied directly to employee behavior and attitude.
Scientific American recently did a study on this very topic, as it relates to a recent presidential executive order. “With Obama’s order, it appears government is warming up to the idea that smart policy should begin with behavioral science and its more accurate view of human nature,” the article says. Basically put, human behavior plays a very important role on both sides of every decision.
As a food handler, it is impossible to control the behavior of consumers. The customer may not wash his or her hands before eating; he might even eat leftovers that have been in the temperature danger zone too long. That behavior is uncontrollable. The food handler can control his own behavior, however.
At StateFoodSafety, we take behavior very seriously. Each one of our courses is designed to not only teach the student what to do, but why it should be done. We want to change the way people look at food handling, that they might be motivated to behave in such a way that all food under their control may be consumed safely.
Whether you are looking for food handler training because the law says so, or because your employer says so, or even because you want to, just know that the way you handle yourself—and the food before you—is of extreme importance.
—Jeremy Howard
