September is National Food Safety Education Month (NFSEM), and each year restaurant and foodservice professionals across the country demonstrate their commitment to food safety by spreading the message throughout their establishments and communities.

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s International Food Safety Council created this annual campaign in 1994, striving to build awareness of the restaurant and foodservice industry’s commitment to serving safe food, heighten awareness about the importance of food safety education and encourage additional food safety training for all industry employees.

“Americans are aware of food safety now more than ever before,” says Susan Quam, Senior Director of the WRA Education Foundation. “Through National Food Safety Education Month, we have the opportunity to educate our employees and customers on proper food safety procedures.”

Each year a new theme and training activities are created for the industry to reinforce proper food safety practices and procedures. This year’s theme is “Keep hands clean with good hygiene.” In addition, promotional materials are created for restaurants to let others know what their establishment does on a daily basis to ensure safe food handling. Training activities and promotional materials can be found on the NRAEF website.

The Wisconsin Restaurant Association and WRA Education Foundation are committed to educating the industry about proper food safety. ServSafe® training offered by the WRAEF provides important training in food safety for managers and satisfies the state required certification. Over 2,000 people will be trained this year through ServSafe®. Other efforts include regular updates on the WRA web site on important food safety issues as well as links on the website to available food safety training.

- END -

Since 1933, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association has been dedicated to the promotion, protection and improvement of the foodservice industry. The Wisconsin Restaurant Education Foundation’s mission is to promote food service as a professional career path; attract and educate future industry leaders; and provide quality training for those already working in the industry.