Question, back in the 60's and 70's I always had to have a Health Certificate to be able to cut meat, we had to go twice a year to the health dept and get a test. when I left out of Atlanta and worked in Tn. I never had to get one and when I came back to Georgia years later we didn't have to have one. Anyone here remember when we had to have one or has anyone here ever had to have one to cut meat
I heard of that. then they changed it around here to saying there must be at least one person in the store at all times who is certified in food safety (not meat cutting) But I really don't think anyone has one anymore and noone cares.
I should add that when i was a younger cutter with about 5 years of experience I studied and went and took the food safety course and passed the test all on my own dime because I thought it would help me score brownie points with management and help me land work with high paying companies, but every time I showed someone my certificate they would be like "Oh wow...whats that?" Really it didn't mean a thing to anyone all they cared was if I showed up and did my job any extra knowledge was not important or worth acknowledging.
-- Edited by fdarn on Monday 25th of June 2012 04:06:43 PM
We have "Safe Serv" where I am at, and as Fdarn said every store who deals with the health department must have one food safe handler there. The course is common sense, and good for five years.
Dude, when the health Nazis --I mean inspectors--show up at your store here you better have papers to show them. You have to go to a class every year and shell out twenty of your own bucks for a Food Handler's certificate or you're SOL. I think it's a racket. JUst another "tax" they lay on the working man.
There's been a lot of protests here. They started showing up at the local farmer's markets trying to shut them down--or start charging them big fees--and people are not happy.
What I don't like is the health inspector has the final say on everything. Some of his "rulings" seem no more than personal preference--yet there's no contesting his decisions, no appeal process, no rights whatsoever.
It is mandatory to have one in the county I work in, as well as most counties with larger cities in Texas. I've taken the class, but it's a joke. You watch a stupid video and take a 10 question test. Having said that, I haven't taken it for the current company I work with. I'm always on the roster when class time comes around, but I've never taken it and no one seems to care. On the other hand, only management has to take the company's internal safety and sanitation test. It's a 2 day deal with a 100 question test. I've taken one with my old company and they ain't no joke.
