SHOULD HOME BASED FOOD BUSINESS OWNER TAKE FOOD HANDLERS TRAINING COURSE ALSO?

In a very early morning, I received a WhatsApp message from a prospect asking if she should also need to take Food Handlers Training course. She then introduced her new career to me – She had started a Home-Based food business recently.  That’s good and I congratulate her.  I was then explained that since she was doing food business, then she needs to have all the documents that a Food Business Owner ought to have.

 

Each food handler in a home-based food business must register a food handler training course.   Food handlers could learn about the requirement as a food handler and the basic concept in handling food. After the course, they could start to practise the concepts for building up a habit in their workspace.   When they had familiar with the food hygiene practice initially, they would always keen to handling food in hygienic and therefore to avoid food contamination.  Food handlers would be also given an Attendance Certificate after they had completed the 3-hour course. 

 

After the course, each food handler could visit clinic nearby, that providing anti-typhoid vaccination service to take the vaccination.  In some cities, the local municipal council might request food handlers to buy a small Health log book and bring that book to the clinic, some cities’ Health Departments are offering the vaccination service too.  Food handlers who had been vaccinated with anti-typhoid vaccine would have the immune against Salmonella typii bacteria for 3 years.  The doctors would record the food handlers’ details and the vaccination details in the health log book or vaccination card. 

 

The home-based food business owner should also register her premise in FOSIM.  Yes! Even you prepare your food product at your house, you still need to register your house as the food premise.  If you are setting up a company for this home-based business, you may wait until you obtain a trading license first then register your food premise. Otherwise, you may also register using your own name.  It’s a 15-min registration if FOSIM line is smooth and you received email from FOSIM admin in a short time.

 

Home-based food business owner should abide to Food Hygiene Regulation 2009. In fact, they could apply Home-based Food certification to elevate their customers’ confidence against the product’s food hygiene and food safety. With that, food business owner not only implementing hygiene requirement but it also helps to promoting their product – having a cake and eat it too!                         

 

 

 

 

  

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