Food Safety Training

Hello! :helpplease: 

I'm the site trainer for Food Safety for all food handlers inc engineers and am looking to revamp the session, I cover a lot of topics including HACCP, GMP, Housekeeping, Pest Control & Spoilage.

Does anyone have useful ideas that either they use or have seen in other training sessions  

Regards

Kirsteen 

ps 1st time posting so hoping I've done this correct  :silly:

Hi, Kirsteen;

Much like starting a new exercise routine.  Begin light and build strength and endurance in incremental stages.  No need for "muscle failure" unless you're running it boot camp style.  :biggrin:

It's been my often corrected stance that a good approach is HACCP first then PRP (GMP, SSOP, FSM, then regional regulatory, global).  Although I must add most people I train pick up the HACCP principles faster than other programs, but a solid understanding of fundamentals gives a good foundation into the HACCP lingo.  HACCP is very logical and intuitive yet the definitions/terminology can confound many. I have recently tried the inverse approach and it works with mixed results.  At the very least do a preliminary Q&A with trainees to find their strengths and gauge from there.

• Design a video/document library that is readily available on demand.  Either for refreshment or orientation.
• Document training with attendance records and testing.
• Culture in training that encourages questions to be asked, and more importantly where they should go for answers (saying "I don't know" during an interview is fine, but more importantly "I don't know, let me go reference this or ask "that person" is much better during an audit).
• Encourage trainees that they have management support.

P.s. Welcome to the forums.

OMG FUN TRAINING IDEAS

I <3 training ! :wub:

I always start with handwashing & GMPs - I hand out the signing forms, but I dose them with GloGerm, then they watch that scene from I Love Lucy where the chocolate goes too fast.  After they act out GMP role playing, I take out the blacklight, show them every thing is covered in germs, and have them wash their hands, look under a black light again, repeat until hands are clean.

I also like going out to the factory, having them touch an agar plate with their gloves, then with their bar hands, then showing them and posting the pictures around their stations to remind them to wash their hands.

BUT THE BEST GAME

IS THE SLAP GAME

I love the slap game.  I put a board of different pictures up through projection onto a white board.  It works for every topic.

 I have a slide with different pictures or words in squares, and then I group the players into two teams. 

Each team gets a differently colored fly swatter.  

For example - color coding -I yell out a cleaning tool or instrument, they slap the color  :  "Drains!" <slap the black>   "Conveyor" <slap the green>

Allergens - I yell out the ingredient or finished product, they slap the allergen - "Cake Crumbs" <slap the wheat> "Milk with Almonds" <slap the tree nut>

I evaluate and record competency for validation instead of a quiz, because flip quizzes,  I give out quizzes to people who refuse to participate (there's always one).   The person who hits the picture fastest wins a point, and the game is incredibly variable - you can play for as long as you need to to get through your list of training items.  Employees will start looking forward to the slap game, and I am expected to make a slap game for each training becuase they love it. 

I like yelling.  They like hitting things.  Win.  Win. 

I also like practical demonstration ( for metal detector I have everyone use the test cards and for sanitizer testing we test the sanitizer) - But I always record an evaluation & make sure they sign a training acknowledgement or sign in sheet.

Love the slap game, MM.  I am definitely going to try it out at our next refresher training session.  I am always on the look for new training ideas to keep training sessions fresh and new.