Food Safety Certification in Southern California

The law in California requires at least one employee or the owner of a food service provider to know how to keep, cook and serve food safely. Food contamination or poisoning is responsible for 76 million cases of illness every year and 5,000 deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control, so public regulations regarding food safety help to keep the incidence of illness or death from eating contaminated food to a minimum.

Significance of Food Safety Certification

• California law requires a food establishment that prepares or serves food that is not prepackaged to have at least one person, either the owner or an employee, certified in food safety. The state itself does not provide the training but relies on accredited private sources to provide the training and testing to grant the certification.

Frequency of Testing

• The certificate holder needs to take the test every five years to keep the license current. Food establishments include both public and private facilities that serve food to the public. The certified food safety employee does not need to be on site during all shifts, but this person bears responsibility for the entire establishment's food safety practices, making sure that all employees practice good hygiene and food safety techniques. Places that serve prepackaged meals or food do not need such certification.

Getting Certified in Food Safety in California

• Since the state does not provide the training, they rely on private companies to teach the participants about safe food handling. The course contents are proprietary, but the United States Department of Agriculture has defined four rules that dictate safe food handling: clean, separate, cook and chill.

  Cleaning applies to the food, equipment used, and place where both the cooking and storage occur. Separating food that is cooked and food consumed raw avoids cross contamination. For example, keeping raw meat separate from fresh food will keep the fruit and vegetables from contamination from meat.

  Cooking raw food like meat, fruit and vegetables to certain temperatures will kill pathogens in food, and chilling at temperatures below 40 F will inhibit the growth of bacteria, keeping food safe longer.

Where Classes Are Taught in California

• The classes in food certification in California can be taken in a classroom setting or online, although the test for certification takes place as proctored exams in designated classrooms around the state. The state allows a number of private companies to hold the classes, so any resident interested in becoming certified will not have to travel far.

Food Safety Protects Public Health

• Once the certificate has been issued, it needs to be kept on file in the restaurant or facility to assure the inspectors that someone on site knows and is responsible for food safety rules. Considering how important food safety regulations are to public health, and the personal and financial impact on society of food-borne illnesses, putting safe food handling rules into practice are critical to protecting the public.