Building a Culture of Consistent Foodservice Safety

Professionals in the restaurant industry are acutely aware of the importance of food safety, but its day-to-day implementation continues to be a challenge. Research shows that out of two million restaurant inspections between September 2022 and 2023, handwashing was the most common FDA food code violation (six percent), and 5.6 percent of violations were due to inadequate sanitization of food contact surfaces.

While these percentages may seem low, they add up to at least 120,000 restaurants across the country that have been cited for these types of issues. A contributing factor is the staff’s understanding and execution of food safety and hygiene best practices. For restaurant operators, it’s important to understand what is driving this “knowledge gap” and the steps they can take to close it. 

Training and education around hygiene and food safety continue to be a standard, but there are further steps managers can take to guarantee the safest, most hygienic, and…