Meat that is cooked and cured, such as bacon, might remain pink. Pink meat is usually associated with raw or under cooked meat. In the case of cured meats, however, a little bit of pink is acceptable. The challenge professional restaurants or kitchen space is that they have to determine an appropriate temperature at which to cook and serve bacon. A food and hygiene course may help. Most food and sanitation information is pretty standard. Common sense is one of the most important issues behind food safety certification. It is possible to earn your food handlers permit online since practical information will help you improve your kitchen safety in a major way. Your food handling certificate or food protection certificate tells an employer that you understand how important cleanliness, safety with sharp or hot objects and other basic kitchen safety is to you, the other workers and customers.

Most food safety certification programs address Salmonella. It is an illness caused by Salmonella bacterium, and it is responsible for $2.65 billion in annual costs to the food and restaurant industry. Another well known food borne illness is E. coli. This is another bacterium, and it can produce that leak toxins. There are a reported 73,000 cases of foodborne illness every year in America. Most sources are undercooked or raw beef, milk or unpasteurized juice. Farming practices play an important role in containing E. coli. However, being responsible in a commercial kitchen is just as important in keeping food borne illness costs to a minimum.

Food borne illnesses come from meals prepared outside of the home 70 percent of the time. Improper food handling the kitchen staff is the leading culprit for these illnesses. Through food safety certification and education, restaurants can minimize this risk. Going through food safety certification programs will train staff to wash their hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before or after handling food. This cuts the risk of food borne illness incidence down considerably. Kitchen staff should also always wash their hands after using the restroom.

Learn more about food safety certification by researching programs available online. There are also physical classes for food safety certification held in many cities across the nation. Find a local culinary Institute and ask if they have a food safety certification in place. You may want to sign up several employees at once if you have a food borne illness problem arise.