Food and Beverage Industry Standards Education and Training

Meet food and beverage industry standards with the right education and training
By Catherine Ryan Whether you import produce, manufacture soda pop or run an Italian bistro, understanding and complying with food and beverage industry standards is imperative to the success of your business. Not understanding or meeting important industry standards can lead to hefty fines, lawsuits and even outbreaks of illness.

To ensure that your company complies with important standards, you will need to secure solid food and beverage industry standards education and training for you and your employees. As you look for training resources, make sure to do the following:

1. Learn about the industry standard certification requirements for different food businesses in your state.

2. Understand the standards that are specific to the food services industry.

3. Determine the food and beverage standards that apply to international business.

Get certified through state and federal food and beverage standards programs

Different states have different standards for the training and certification of people that handle food. Learn the rules in your state to ensure that you and your employees receive the proper training. It is also important to learn the safety standards put forth by the federal government for both the retail and manufacturing sectors of the food industry.
Try:  Establish your state's food handling training requirements at ServSafe before completing the company's restaurant industry standards certification programs. ServSafe provides classes in both food and alcohol handling that meet industry-set food sanitation standards. Get beverage and food industry standards certification from the FDA at the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) online university. The curricula covers the retail, manufacturing, dairy and shellfish sectors of the food industry.

Complete training to meet food and beverage industry service standards

There are many courses that cover standards that are specific to the food services industry and focus mainly on sanitation and safe food handling practices. If you run a restaurant, make sure to have your employees complete all necessary training to meet these standards.
Try:  Take the "NSF Healthguard Professional Food Manager" one-day training course offered by NSF International. The course is designed to help food service managers meet industry standards for restaurants. Follow up the NSF course with the certified examination offered by the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals. The program employs standards set by the Conference for Food Protection and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute.

Find international food and beverage industry standards training and classes online

If any part of your food or beverage operations involves international business it is important for you to understand the standards set by global industry bodies. Many classes are available online making them both time and cost effective.
Try:  Read "Food Quality and Safety Systems - A Training Manual on Food Hygiene and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System" on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States website. Register for the "Codex Alimentarius" class at the International Food Laws and Regulation website which covers the implementation of global food standards established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and is part of the International Food Law Certificate Program.

• Join your local industry trade association to help you stay on top of the changes to food and beverage standards that will affect your business.