There's no doubting just how essential it is for business owners to learn and practice safe food and beverage industry standards. Americans expect their government to enact legislation aimed at ensuring the public food supply is safe. They also expect industry leaders associated with any aspect of food production and handling to follow those guidelines strictly.
In typical American fashion, the federal and state government agencies charged with advocating these standards provide ready public access to them. The websites these agencies maintain provide information and further contacts related to standards for meats, poultry, eggs, dairy and other agricultural products. It's not an overstatement to say that contacting any one of these agencies will get you more information on food and beverage industry standards than you ever thought existed. You can approach this expansive topic by keeping certain key facts in mind:
1. Contact federal agencies first to discover the original sources for most standards in the food industry.
2. Move on to state agencies that provide direct assistance in complying with food sanitation standards.
3. Promote sound food and beverage industry service standards in your own establishment by training your employees.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Know the federal programs promoting food and beverage industry service standards
Many industry standards are at the federal level. Federal agencies maintain large staffs devoted to assisting the public and food industry leaders in their efforts to ensure public safety through best practices in the food standards.
I recommend: FoodSafety.gov provides information on standards in the food industry. Contact them for news alerts and national food safety programs. A government agency, The
Food Safety and Inspection Service makes sure that the meats, poultry and eggs sold in America conform to quality standards for production and labeling. Its website links provides state links for food and beverage safety standards. The
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition provides official government publications related to dairy sanitation standards, restaurant industry standards and food and beverage industry service standards.
Learn which state agencies oversee food, beverage industry standards
State health agencies will supply you with most of the food industry standards you'll need to follow in your own establishment.
I recommend: The Association of State and Territorial Health Office represents state health agencies devoted to creating and enforcing standards for the safe handling of food and beverages. Contact the
Food and Drug Administration for a list of the state and local governmental agencies that oversee food and beverage industry standards.
Train your employees in industry standards for restaurants
Many states require certain restaurants and foodservice establishments to offer training programs on food and beverage standards to their employees.
I recommend: The
National Coalition for Food-Safe Schools tries to advance food safety in school cafeterias and offers a wealth of advice for eliminating unsanitary food practices in any professional kitchen. The
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation provides online activities for restaurant employees to practice food and beverage sanitation techniques.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Many states offer certifications to restaurant owners whose businesses meet certain food and beverage standards criteria. Getting one of these certifications that you can proudly display in your restaurant tells your customers you truly care about food safety.
The official source of Food and Beverage Industry Standards is
the Food and Beverage Industry Standards page at Business.com
Featured Vendors
Beverage Industry ExpertsWe help bring new beverage brands to life from start to store!
www.powerbrands.us
Williams-Sonoma GiftsChoose from distinctive corporate gifts. Save 10% on volume orders.
Williams-Sonoma.com
Software for Importers and DistributorsERP software designed for importers to manage profit per shipment, inventory visibility and document automation. For small to mid-sized importers.
www.ventureinformationsystem.com
Related Resources from Business.com
Comments
Is any content on this page inappropriate? To let us know, please 