Food handling courses are not only designed or meant for those 
in the food service business; you might want to consider taking the course as an individual interested in keeping you and your family healthy and safe from food poisoning. After completing a food handling course you will be well educated about the factors that cause food poisoning and ways to avoid them.
Most of us often over-look the issue of food poisoning, not until it actually happens to us or someone close to us. The major causes of food poisoning are germs, bacteria, viruses and parasite which might have infected the food item as a result of poor handling of the food item. Food items are easily contaminated by these mentioned elements and consumption of infected food items might lead to serious illness even life threatening diseases. Hence, serious consideration should be made to taking a food handling course.
Starting from home, we can control the contamination of the food items we consume by following simple rules while preparing them and even before buying them from the convince store or supermarket.
- Before purchasing your groceries from the convince stores and supermarkets, look for the expiring date. You should be aware that some convince stores and supermarkets sell food items that are near their expiring date because they buy them cheaper. Also, try to separate food items in the grocery bag according to the type of food.
- Immediately you get home, wash your vegetables, fruits and other harvested food items, wash them thoroughly. Washing them thoroughly, washes away any chemicals like fertilizer that might have been used to grow them. These types of chemicals tend to contaminate the food item.
- Kitchen tools and utensils should also be washed before and after use. These utensils should also be washed in between their use. For example, after using a chopping board to slice meat, you should wash the chopping board before using it to slice any other food product. This is because each food product has its own natural bacteria which can easily be transferred to another food item if this precaution is not taken.
- Always remember to wash your hands before handling any food item even after a short break or interruption by a visitor or some other interruption.
- Another very important tip is storage of these food items. Store meat products separately from other food items and in lower temperature than other food products like your vegetables. Leaving meat products outside the freezer exposes them to parasite like insets which transfer germs and bacteria with them. This can be very harmful to your health. Hence, storing of food item should not be taken likely.
These are some of the basic food handling procedures you will learn from a food handling course. These procedures are very helpful in keeping you and your family from food related illnesses. So, it is not just about preparing a delicious dinner for you and your family but most importantly preparing a healthy meal that is poison free.