Ever been told to put something into your mouth, without actually knowing what it is?  Well, if so, you probably know that it can be quite an uncomfortable and adventurous experience. But have you ever considered the fact that, sometimes, you might only think you know what you are eating, when in all actuality you are just as oblivious as when you eat that “mystery food” someone hands you? Knowledge when it comes to food consumption is a hot debate in California right now. Proposition 37 is a controversial bill in the upcoming November election. Basically, it calls for a mandate that all companies provide clear labels on their foods to let consumers know whether or not they have been genetically engineered (GE) in any way.

The proposition has received quite an outpouring of support, having been signed by 1 million Californians. In addition, several notable celebrities have joined the cause and rallied to get support for the bill. “What makes you think you have the right to know?” asked Danny DeVito sarcastically when discussing the issue. Jillian Michaels, a fitness expert, commented on the issue, saying “The ability to make an informed choice about what you feed your family is a right no American should be denied.”

Interestingly, not everyone is “on board” with this new proposition. Gregory Conko and Henry I. Miller, of Forbes magazine, write “[The proposition] might sound reasonable and seem to reflect how our choice-driven marketplace works, but there are several problems with it. For starters, GE foods are not in any way a meaningful ‘category,’ which makes any choice of what to include wholly arbitrary. Nor are they unsafe or any less ‘natural’ than thousands of other common foods.”  This idea of food being safe or unsafe due to genetic engineering seems to be quite debatable for the public right now. In addition to Conko and Miller, many food and pesticide companies seem to be against the proposition, as they would be required to divulge information about genetically engineered foods with the public.

Rebecca Spector, director of the Center for Food Safety West Coast said “Food labeling empowers Americans to take control of what we eat, but 90 percent of Americans who want to know if their food is produced using genetic engineering are denied this freedom because these products are not required to be labeled in the U.S….Prop 37 is a reasonable response to government inaction to label GE foods.”

Remember, knowledge is power. Being informed about what you are eating is always a plus, and as it is quite a hot topic right now, it’s good to “know your stuff” so you can have a voice in food safety, no matter what your opinion on the matter might be. You can find the full articles at:

• northcentralpa.com
• Forbes.com

–Angela Bond

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

A few weeks ago, we let you know that StateFoodSafety.com had received accreditation from the American National Standards Institute, as a certificate provider for Food Handler Card training. Now, we have even more to celebrate as Governor Brown has signed Senate Bill 303 into law. SB 303, also known as the revised California Food Handler Law, became official on September 6, 2011. This law requires that all California Food Handlers receive Food Handler Training from an ANSI accredited program. The bill, more than nine months in the making, helps ensure that all California Food Handlers will receive consistent, instructionally sound training when procuring their California Food Handler Card.

We were privileged to be involved in the crafting of this bill and we would like to congratulate Senator Padilla, the bill’s author, as well as the entire California State Legislature for taking this important step toward ensuring the continued success of the California food service industry.

Online Food Handler Training is a great way for California’s food handlers to learn to do their jobs safely and prevent foodborne illness. StateFoodSafety.com is proud to offer a quality online food handler training experience to food handlers throughout the state. Our course has been recognized for its instructionally sound presentation, so much so that StateFoodSafety.com was recently awarded an exclusive contract to administer the food handler training program in San Bernardino County.

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.

–Christian Pieper

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.

–Christian Pieper