The Certified Manager Programme is a new approach to food safety that is designed to equip businesses with supervisors and managers that are competent enough to assume responsibility for food safety in a business.
A lack of suitable training for supervisors and managers can mean that food handlers, often through mandated programmes, have a greater knowledge of food safety than those supervising them. How can a supervisor ensure that food handlers are operating and implementing safe working practices without being trained to a higher standard? Yet, if there is a food poisoning outbreak, in most cases, it is the result of poor management as opposed to the fault of a food handler.
The growing prominence of food allergies are resulting in increased customer complaints, product recalls, anaphylaxis and, in some cases, death, but how many managers are specifically, and suitably, trained on managing allergens and able to implement controls and policies to prevent serious problems?
An additional problem arises when governments mandate all food businesses to implement food safety initiatives such as HACCP. Managers and supervisors, without the correct level of training, often have inadequate knowledge to implement HACCP, and often lack the knowledge to determine if consultants employed to develop HACCP systems are competent to do so. The net result can be a totally inappropriate or complex HACCP system that nobody in the business understands.
The ‘certificate on the wall’, accepted as evidence by auditors and inspectors of suitably trained food handlers and managers, often does not reflect the level of competency, behaviour of staff or reflect a positive food safety culture.
Training leading to certificated and recognised qualifications are very important, they provide motivation and evidence of:
Qualifications improve the level of knowledge in the industry and allow employers and organisations to set a benchmark of required knowledge, but they may not reflect competency.
Food safety qualifications and programmes must provide the tools and incentives that encourage food businesses to accept responsibility for food safety. The industry must shift from a culture of certification to a culture of competency.
The effective training and qualification of supervisors and managers, continued professional development and evidence of competence through the implementation of food safety improvements.
The starting point is to provide managers with sufficient knowledge to implement effective controls, policies and procedures to manage any hazards and provide the on-the-job training of food handlers.
The best way to do this is through appropriate management training leading to recognised qualifications.
The Highfield Certified Manager Programme offers pathways for catering and retail professionals as well as those working in a manufacturing environment:
Catering Supervisors Pathway
6-day programme that leads to four level 3 qualifications:
On successful completion of this programme the learner will be awarded the Food Safety Supervisor (Catering) certificate.
Catering Managers Pathway
A 10-day programme that leads to two level 3 and two level 4 qualifications:
On successful completion of this programme the learner will be awarded the Food Safety Manager (Catering) certificate.
Manufacturing Supervisors Pathway
A 6-day programme that leads to three level 3 qualifications:
On successful completion of this programme the learner will be awarded the Food Safety Supervisor (Manufacturing) certificate.
Manufacturing Managers Pathway
An 11-day programme that leads to a level 3 and two level 4 qualifications:
On successful completion of this programme the learner will be awarded the Food Safety Manager (Manufacturing) certificate.
To ensure that this programme produces competent food safety professionals, several measures will be implemented that evidence competence.
This mixture of internal and external measures includes:
Internal measures
External measures
To assist in achieving competency, certificates will be valid for one year, with renewal dependent on achieving at least 24 hours of continuing professional development.
The requirement to maintain CPD is intended to ensure supervisors and managers keep up to date with the latest information regarding food safety issues that may affect their business. This will include information on food poisoning outbreaks, food complaints, allergens, recalls, legislation and new scientific information.
If you would like further information about the Highfield Certified Manager programme you can download the programme specification.
If you would like further information about implementing the Certified Manager Programme, please contact Richard Sprenger on rsprenger@highfield.co.uk or call 009714 449 4042.
