Completing training for a food handlers permit in Utah makes food service workers eligible to receive their permits from local health departments. Training can be completed online or in person, offered through organizations approved by the state to provide training. The Utah Restaurant Association is one such organization. We offer training for food handlers online.
All approved training covers five key areas: basic food safety, personal hygiene, cross-contamination and allergens, time and temperature, and cleaning and sanitation. Each of the five areas is explained in limited detail below. Should you have any questions about training for the food handlers permit in Utah, feel free to contact us.
1. Basic Food Safety
The first area of basic food safety is more or less an introduction into the kinds of practices required to ensure safety in food handling. Students learn about the kinds of things that can contaminate food, how workers might unintentionally cause contamination, and so forth. It covers everything from prep work to storage.
2. Personal Hygiene
Utah state law requires that food service workers adhere to a certain set of personal hygiene best practices. For example, food service employees are required to double wash their hands after using the toilet or changing a diaper. Training clearly explains what double handwashing is and the proper procedure for doing so.
Personal hygiene training also covers things like wearing hair nets and hats, what to do in the event of a workplace injury that could impact food safety, dealing with illness, and so forth. The law takes personal hygiene very seriously in the food service arena.
3. Cross-Contamination & Allergens
Food products destined to be served to consumers need to be kept free of contaminants and allergens. Training for a food handlers permit addresses both areas. Cross-contamination involves microorganisms that could make people sick while cross contact deals with potential allergens. Food service workers need to be familiar with both. They also need to know how to prevent both kinds of contamination.
4. Time & Temperature
Both time and temperature are important factors in producing safe food. Time and temperature are important in food storage, preparation, and eventual cooking. They also factor into food preservation after cooking. There is a lot to learn in this regard, so food handler training spends quite a bit of time on this area.
5. Cleaning & Sanitation
Proper procedures for cleaning and sanitation are as important to food safety as personal hygiene. As you might expect, training covers these two areas extensively. Trainees learn about keeping work surfaces sanitary throughout the workday. They learn how to clean tools, utensils, and so forth.
It is essential that commercial kitchens and food trucks maintain sanitary conditions at all times. An unsanitary kitchen is an unhealthy kitchen, and one the local health department will not be afraid to shut down. Therefore, it is in the best interests of food handlers and their employers to learn as much as they can about cleaning and sanitation, then adhere to all requirements.
You Can Train with Us
If you have any plans to work in the restaurant industry as a food handler, you will probably need a permit. Getting the permit requires that you first complete a training course.
The Utah Restaurant Association is proud to be one of only a small number of organizations approved by the state to offer training for the food handlers permit. We offer training to food handlers online, in Salt Lake City, and across the entire state. You can access our online training by visiting the ‘Training‘ section of our website.