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.

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

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.

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

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.

StateFoodSafety.com is proud to offer a California Food Handler Card at a competitive price of only $12.25.  SFS is an industry leader in providing the highest quality training at the most affordable price.

The process is simple. In less than two hours, you can take the course, pass the test, and voila—you’re a certified food handler extraordinaire! Yes, with this certificate in hand, you will clearly be the talk of the party.  After all, what partygoer doesn’t want to know that ground beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds? Nothing’s more attractive to that secret crush than someone who knows how to use a three-compartment sink. Break out your white loafers, grab a refreshing beverage, and celebrate compliance with California’s new Food Handler Law!

We’ll lay out the steps so you can see just how easy this is.

1.  Register at StateFoodSafety.com.

2.  Next, complete the course, which has been fully customized to California Retail Food Code. Lots of online trainers will claim their course is customized, but what they mean is that they’ve taken the course for New Hampshire or New Mexico and just slapped a two-bit errata sheet at the end explaining California’s laws. Don’t settle for cut-rate training, when StateFoodSafety.com offers you a high-quality course, designed specifically with California in mind.

What will you learn in the course?  The California Food Handler Law requires that California food handlers demonstrate knowledge of the answers to these questions, among others:

• What is foodborne illness? What are the different germs that cause foodborne illness? What are the typical symptoms and effects of common foodborne illnesses?
• How do time and temperature affect food safety? To what temperature and for how long must one cook different types of food to make them safe to eat? What are the different types of thermometers and how should they be used?
• What is the relationship between personal hygiene and food safety? How does a food handler’s health and behavior influence food safety and the occurrence of foodborne illness?
• What are the proper procedures for cleaning and sanitizing equipment and utensils?
• What are the potential problems and solutions associated with facility and equipment design, layout, and construction?
• What are the potential problems and solutions associated with temperature control, preventing cross-contamination, housekeeping, and maintenance?

Our instructionally sound course will cover all these topics in detail.

3.  After taking the course, you’ll need to successfully pass the assessment.  To pass the California Food Handler Assessment you’ll need a score of 70% or higher.  You’ll get two tries to pass the test, and if you pay close attention, you should be fine. Everything you’ll need to know is covered in the course

4.  Finally, print your certificate and give it to your employer.  Cut out your California food handler card and keep it in your wallet.

It’s as easy as that! The whole process doesn’t need to take you more than a couple hours, and our course uses fun, interactive elements and illustrations that will help the time speed by. Take StateFoodSafety.com’s online California Food Handler training course today by clicking here.

Refreshingly, Senator Padilla listened to those concerns and has vigorously advocated an amended bill, SB 303, which clarifies the approval process of training providers and ensures the citizens of California will receive high-quality training at affordable prices.

Legislators often have to make decisions based on an incomplete or imperfect understanding of an issue. All too often, they are unwilling to reevaluate those decisions, even when doing so is in the best interest of their constituents. In this case, Senator Padilla learned of a better option and acted on new understanding.  For that, he deserves the admiration and appreciation of all Californians.

The new food handler bill, SB 303, requires all training providers to receive an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation called ASTM e2659.  This accreditation is for certificate programs, like food handler training, and mandates a high proficiency in training delivery and business operations.  StateFoodSafety.com has been recommended for accreditation and goes before the committee on June 2, 2011.  If approved, StateFoodSafety.com will be the first food handler program to receive this distinction.

Maricopa County food workers, please note that you will need to print your certificate of completion and present it at any of the four Environmental Services Department offices to obtain your photo ID Maricopa County Food Worker Card.

Click here to purchase now!

In the last six months we have launched our course in the following locations:  Davis County, UT, Navajo County, AZ, Tulsa, OK, and Jackson County, Johnson County, Cass County, and Taney County in MO.  Thanks to all of our excellent health department partners we have been able to utilize their expert input to continuously customize and improve our training to get to the heart of these incredibly important food safety issues.

We have some great blog posts coming up for you . . . keep checking back!