Nanaimo First Aid is home to food safety certification and training in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Food safety training, dubbed FOODSAFE by all providers in BC, is mandated by the BC public health authorities and by the public health act regulating food establishments. There are two levels in FOODSAFE training, the first targeted towards front-line food service workers and the second towards management staff.
Nanaimo Food Safety Certification
Our FOODSAFE training courses are all certification courses. Once our trainees complete the course and pass all the examinations, we award them with FOODSAFE training courses valid for five years. After the period of validity has passed, service workers can get new certificates by signing up for refresher courses.
Refresher courses are update courses that focus on the essentials of food safety training. They are tailored for service workers looking to renew their training certificates. They are shorter than the regular courses, lasting only 3 hours.
About FOODSAFE courses
FOODSAFE level 1 is a training course for people who handle the food directly, specifically cooks, waiters, bussers, and dishwashers. The curriculum covers food preparation, storage, service, and sanitation; lessons are mostly skill-oriented. This course is 8 hours long.
FOODSAFE level 2 is a training course for management staff, so the focus of the curriculum is mostly planning for work and food safety. The target student audience is administrative and management staff of food establishments. This course is 12 hours long.
You have the option of training in a classroom set-up, or online. Online food safety training is completed through a virtual classroom set up. The last training option is by correspondence, perfect for students who work during the day or have no time to complete a classroom-based type of course. Correspondence training is completed in six months, with additional 2 months available at a cost.
- Level 1 – 110 dollars
- Level 2 – 165 dollars
- Correspondence – 85 dollars (additional 25 dollars for an extension)
You can inquire at our website or via telephone about training fees for refresher classes.
Did You Know?
Pathogens that cause foodborne illness
Foodborne illness (colloquially called food poisoning) is typically caused by either (1) microorganisms or (2) dangerous substances like chemicals. Microorganisms that can cause disease are called pathogens. When symptoms become severe, the victim can even be hospitalized – and can even cause death in compromised victims (very old and very young people).
- Norovirus – Norovirus is the most common cause of foodborne illness, but is rarely diagnosed because the test is not typically available in most hospitals and diagnostic laboratories. This virus causes acute gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting (more so than diarrhea) and is self-limiting, meaning it resolves in a few days.
- Salmonella – Salmonella bacterium is typically transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated animal intestines (birds, reptiles, mammals). Salmonellosis is characterized by fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain .
- Campylobacter – The Campylobacter pathogen is also a very common cause of foodborne illness but is more easily diagnosed than the Norovirus. It is characterized by fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. The pathogen can be found in bird intestines and most raw poultry.