Food handlers in training for Jan. 1 certification deadline
By TOM TIBERIO
Tribune Staff Writer
November 16, 2004
SOUTH BEND — Restaurants and other eateries in Indiana that fail to meet the new Food Handler Certification requirement by Jan. 1 may be fined up to $100 per day.
Phil Schreiber isn’t taking any chances.
Schreiber, who owns Between the Buns restaurants, plans to have his entire management and kitchen staff certified. But not just to avoid the penalties for noncompliance.
“It just makes good business sense to know that your staff is going to make sure your customers are not going to get sick,” Schreiber said.

More than just restaurants
Between the Buns is among the more than 20,000 Indiana businesses and institutions that will have to comply with the law, which requires most places that serve food to have at least one certified handler on staff.
Responsible for the “storage, preparation, display or serving of food to the public,” food handlers are not required to be at the food establishment at all times, but no individual can be the designated food handler for more than one location.
Representatives from the food industry proposed the rule, which the Indiana General Assembly passed in 2001, allowing a four-year grace period for infrastructure buildup.
Designed to reduce food sickness caused by salmonella, E. coli and cross-contamination, the law applies to every facility that does any on-site cooking, including schools, churches, fraternity and sorority houses, bars, taverns and strip clubs.
“My feeling is you can never have too much information,” said Laura Simeri, owner of Madison Oyster Bar in South Bend. “The health department re-evaluates their guidelines and makes changes, and those changes are intended to be good for everyone — for the business owner and for the customer.”
Food handlers must pass a nationally accredited test, which they must retake every five years.
There are more than a dozen organizations that offer training for the certification examination, but Schreiber felt it in his best interest to offer certification classes himself, since he intends on certifying as many of his employees as possible.
“When you’re talking 20 or 30 (people) per restaurant, we decided the best way to do that was for us to teach the classes ourselves,” Schreiber said.
Between the Buns has locations in South Bend, Osceola and Mishawaka.
Most test providers charge between $35 and $50 for the examination. Packages, which include training and materials, cost between $80 and $125.
Schreiber partnered with food safety consultant Kevin Finley, who has been doing business with Between the Buns for eight years, to offer one-day training sessions at the restaurant’s Mishawaka each month.
The sessions are open to employees from other restaurants.
Finley, who previously worked as a health department inspector for 18 years, owns Food Safety Scouts, an Osceola-based food safety consulting business he started in 1996.
Training sessions educate employees on potential food safety hazards, the importance of personal hygiene and cross-contamination.
The biggest cause of foodborne illness is poor hygiene, and Finley tells employees they should be able to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice in the time it should take them to wash their hands.
“You’re not going to know everything but you’re going to now have a better understanding of what a person in charge does to keep the public safe,” he said of the classes and certification.
Protecting the customer
Scott Gilliam, director of the Indiana Health Department’s Food Protection Program, said 17 states are requiring certification and Indiana is ahead of the curve. Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky do not have such a standard, Gilliam said.
State health officials reported 67 foodborne outbreaks — or incidents of contaminated food — in Indiana between 1999 and 2003.
Gilliam hopes to reduce the number of foodborne outbreaks to none.
“The goal of this is to bring knowledge to food establishments and hopefully they will apply that knowledge,” said Gilliam.
Gilliam said the Food and Drug Administration recently conducted a nationwide risk-assessment study that found facilities that had certified food handlers typically have fewer violations.
Gilliam said there have been both complaints and compliments in response to the rule.
He said most of the feedback has come from those who feel their business should be exempt, and who are concerned about taking the test.
Misti Rooks, owner of Misti’s Down Under in downtown South Bend, originally was skeptical about the requirement. After taking the test, however, she felt it was informative.
“(The test) was basically a review of everything that a restaurant manager or owner should know,” Rooks said. “I think it’s a little bit overcharged, but I think it’s good for owners to know what they want us to know.”
Though the law exempts hospitals, nursing homes and other assisted living facilities, it applies to nonprofits and some convenience stores.
This may be subject to change, however, Gilliam said, adding that there may be a proposal under way that would exempt nonprofit organizations that offer food less than 30 days a year.
“We would not be opposed to that,” Gilliam said.
Other food establishments may be exempt if they only sell foods that are less subject to contamination such as hot-dogs, hot pretzels, popcorn and baked goods that only require heating.
John Livengood, president of the Indiana’s Restaurant & Hospitality Association, said there was a growing feeling in the state that requiring certification would be a good thing to do.
“This is like insurance,” Livengood said. “That’s some of the best money they’ll (restaurants) spend this year.”
Many of the larger, corporate restaurant and grocery chains have already had similar standards in place, said Joe Lackey, president of the Indiana Grocery & Convenient Store Association.
“This is all preventative,” Lackey said. “It’s just raising the bar a little higher.”
Staff writer Tom Tiberio:
ttiberio@sbtinfo.com
(547) 235-6271