We are happy to announce that our industry-leading online food handler course is now available in five languages! The course, now available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese, is currently live in the States of Colorado and California–with other locations soon to follow! For less than the price of a few gallons of gas, food workers of many language and cultural backgrounds can come to StateFoodSafety.com to receive food safety instruction in a way that will connect with them and have a better likelihood of being implemented in the workplace. We, in partnership with dozens of health departments around the nation, recommend this food handler training for food workers of all experience levels to help reduce  pathogens in the workplace and prevent the spread of foodborne illness.

Do you have a language need that we haven’t yet addressed? Let us know! Write to us at info@statefoodsafety.com. Group purchases are also available.

Click here for your California Food Handler Card.

Click here for your Colorado Food Handler Card.

Ladies and gentlemen, the story you’re about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Actually, they haven’t been. This story is about Bryan Chapman, our vice president of operations. In his own words . . .

A lone solitary figure lay prostrate on the cold floor. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins as he forced himself to breathe deep, in attempts to quiet the shakes and regain a semblance of control. Sanity had just retaken control; however, only moments before death seemed a suitable alternative.

How he came to this predicament is still unknown, although all symptoms point to a flawlessly orchestrated operation put in motion hours before. What is unfortunately true, and incredibly disgusting, is that the assailant, Norovirus, was likely transferred through feces being ingested in the mouth . . . my mouth. The vehicle? Food.

My office door today, at StateFoodSafety.com, has a sign saying “Here lies one of our own, fallen from foodborne illness.” (It doesn’t. See above.) The reality is I shook someone’s hand, touched a doorknob, changed a diaper, touched a keyboard or a host of any other things infected by Norovirus, and didn’t wash my hands either well enough, or often enough.

So, unless you want to spend the Holiday season slumped against a cold toilet, confident your eyes will explode with every projectile vomit or the dreaded dry heaves, please take note of the following:

• Norovirus is the number one foodborne illness in the United States, occurring more than 20 million times a year.
• The “24-hour flu” or “stomach flu” is actually most likely Norovirus.
• Norovirus is highly contagious and causes acute gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the stomach and intestines.
• The most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain.  Vomiting and diarrhea can occur many times a day (this has been personally verified).
• Anyone can get Norovirus.
• Most people get better within 1 to 2 days (thankfully, this has also been personally verified).
• Because of vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration is a common secondary illness, making it important to constantly drink small sips of electrolyte enhanced water like Gatorade.
• Norovirus is spread through contact with a contaminated surface, and then touching the mouth, or by having direct contact with an infected person, such as sharing food.

So, this Thanksgiving and Holiday season, unless you want to watch other people eat delicious Turkey legs, while you cringe and run to the john, please adhere to these tips to prevent the spread of Norovirus.

• Wash your hands.  Wash them often.  Use soap and water, especially after using the restroom or changing diapers, and always before preparing and eating food.
• Alcohol based hand sanitizers are helpful as supplements to soap and water, but are not a replacement.
• Carefully wash fruits and vegetables.
• Disinfect kitchen surfaces often using a bleach-based household cleaner or making your own solution by adding ¼ cup of bleach to 2 ¼ cups of water.  Just pour the solution into a spray bottle and disinfect surfaces.

–Bryan Chapman

This story is true. If you would like more information, jump to our facts source: CDC.gov

Enjoy our new holiday cartoon to celebrate our favorite holiday of the year!

Also, a festive poem to share with your loved ones . . .

When Father Carves the Duck

by Ernest Vincent Wright

We all look on with anxious eyes
When Father carves the duck,
And Mother almost always sighs
When Father carves the duck.
Then all of us prepare to rise
and hold our bibs before our eyes
And be prepared for some surprise
When Father carves a duck.

He braces up and grabs a fork
Whene’er he carves a duck,
And won’t allow a soul to talk
Until he’s carved the duck.
The fork is jabbed into the sides,
Across the breast the knife he slides
While every careful person hides
From flying chips of duck.

The platter’s always sure to slip
When Father carves the duck,
And how it makes the dishes skip!
Potatoes fly amuck!
The squash and cabbage leap in space,
We get some gravy in our face,
And Father mutters Hindu grace
Whene’er carves a duck.

We then have learned to walk around
The dining room and pluck
From off the window sills and walls
Our share of Father’s duck.
While Father growls and blows and jaws
And swears the knife was full of flaws,
And Mother laughs at him because
He couldn’t carve a duck.

Happy Thanksgiving from StateFoodSafety.com!

P.S. Turkeys don’t come with stuffing already in them. That’s a bag of giblets.

Tim Snarr contributed to this post.

StateFoodSafety.com™ released a promo code for the California food handler course! If you need California food handlers card/certificate and don’t want to waste your time with other courses that may not be approved, look no further. We are your the answer to your food safety training needs. This coupon code is for the California Food Handler course but not valid in San Bernardino, San Diego, & Riverside. If you need your California food handler card and want the course that comes as close to free as possible follow the steps below to redeem the coupon code.

Steps to Redeem Coupon Code:

California Food Handler Coupon Code

Step 1: Go to www.statefoodsafety.com

Step 2: Select the purchase now on the right hand side of the screen

California Food Handler card purchase now button

Step 3:Go through the process including selecting your language preference (English, Spanish, & Mandarin)
Step 4: In the group purchase codes field input the coupon code: BESTCOURSE2011

StateFoodSafety.com Coupon Code: BESTCOURSE2011

Step 5: Use Group Purchase Code: BESTCOURSE2011

Now get your California Food Handler Course for $8.00

$4.25 taken off your course price immediately making your food handler course $8.00

Get your California food handler certificate for $8.00

SB 303, known as the California Food Handler Law, requires certain food workers to receive California food handler training and a California food handler card from an approved provider.  The California food handler card is received after completing the required training and passing a 40-question assessment.

Food handler training is not a new thing.  For years, or even decades, some state or local regulations have required food handler training for all their food workers.  California is a little different.  In most areas, training programs are scrupulously reviewed and approved by state or local health officials.  This ensures the training content is accurate, according to the adopted version of the FDA food code.  In California, food handlers can receive a California food handler card only from an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited body.  ANSI accredits the California food handler training program according to standards as set forth in SB 303 as well as ensures that appropriate business practices are being used. StateFoodSafety.com was the first training program to receive this ANSI certification and is currently the only ANSI-accredited program offering Food Handler Card training to Californians.

StateFoodSafety.com is pleased to present its high-quality and interactive Food Handler Card training to Californians seeking certification.  StateFoodSafety.com is a trusted training provider nationwide, having trained hundreds of thousands of food handlers across the country.