Food safety in the city of Toronto, Ontario
The city of Toronto in Ontario is governed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and their acts on health promotion. One these acts is on safe food handling in all food facilities and Food Safety Training in Toronto in the province – the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
The act was amended in 2010, meaning all medium and high-risk facilities in the province are now required to have staff members trained in food safety and sanitation, not just high-risk facilities (when the act was first enforced in 2008).
However, the act is very specific. The staff member tasked with getting trained and certified has to apply to a course offered by a provider that is approved by the Toronto local health authorities. We at Toronto First Aid is one of the few providers approved by the health authorities in the city – that means credentials and training you receive from any of our courses are valid all over the city and the province.
The sign-up
Students who apply to our programs usually need two things – (1) food safety training and (2) food safety training certification. Because our food safety and sanitation training courses are approved by the Toronto health authorities, whatever training credential you receive from us is valid all over the city of Toronto.
Enrollment is pretty simple. The most popular enrollment method among our younger trainees is online application on the Toronto First Aid website. On the website you will find an interactive form that you can fill up with your information and your selected training program – just don’t forget to click submit when you’re done! All requests are processed during business hours so expect a confirmatory e-mail or call from us during that time.
Food safety and sanitation training in Toronto First Aid
We offer food safety and sanitation training in two levels – FoodSafe 1 and FoodSafe 2. The first level of food safety training is a basic course that introduces students to concepts of hand hygiene, foodborne illness, housekeeping and sanitation, and basic microbiology (among other basic topics). This is the minimum training requirement for food service workers; it runs for eight hours long over a single day.
The second level of food safety training is more advanced, targeting food service workers who have managerial or supervisory capacity. It goes beyond the basics of food safety, teaching students everything they need to know about operating a food facility or establishment. It is also much longer to complete, taking 16 hours over two days.
Upon completing one level, you will be awarded with a training certificate that is valid for five years. It can be renewed by taking a refresher class and retaking the certification exam (more details can be found on our website).
Introduction to microbiology
Basic microbiology is an important basic topic we include in the first level of food safety training. Because we include the most common microorganisms responsible for foodborne illness in the curriculum, the students have to have a basic idea of microbiology and how this plays into food safety.