Is It A Big Deal If My Food Handler Certificate Lapses?

You see the headlines all the time – “255 people reported sick; 12 hospitalized after eating at _____”. This particular case was due to salmonella and resulted in at least one lawsuit. How much worse would the fallout be if all the food servers at the restaurant didn’t have current Food Handler Certificates?

Even if no contamination occurs, food establishments are generally inspected twice a year. One of the items inspectors will look for is the presence of Food Handler Certifications by employees.  An establishment in Lubbock was recently shut down for a period of time, partially because all employees could not show valid, current certification. You don’t want to be the reason the place you work gets in trouble with the health department.

In the hectic bustle of a server’s work environment, it can be easy to get sloppy in practicing good food safety habits. Keeping your certificate current provides the reminders everyone needs.

And, if the worst happens, it also makes it much easier to show the public and the authorities that standard food service practices were followed.

As bad as it would be for someone you serve to end up seriously sick from food contamination it would be far worse if your training isn’t up-to-date. You and those involved will want to know you did your best, and part of doing your best is keeping your certification current. Not only is it the law, but it also goes a long way in giving you peace of mind. And in case of any follow-on lawsuits, you can bet a judge or jury might view things differently if it turned out one or more employees weren’t current with their certification.

Letting your certification lapse, even by a day, is a big problem for you and everyone you work with. Keep your Texas Food Handler certification current with Certified On The Fly.

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