Make sure no food handler misses their annual training hours

Everyone who handles food must be trained in health education, the basic principles of Good Manufacturing Practices and hygienic food-handling practices, and must be competent for the tasks assigned to them, so that they can take the precautions and preventive measures needed to avoid contamination or deterioration of food (Article 12 of Resolución 2674 de 2013). A food handler is anyone who is directly involved, permanently or occasionally, in manufacturing, processing, preparing, packing, storing, transporting or selling food (Article 3), and the resolution applies throughout Colombia to those who carry out these activities and to food-handling staff (Article 2).

Companies must have a continuous and permanent training plan for food-handling staff from the moment they are hired, reinforced afterwards through talks, courses or other effective refresher methods. The plan must amount to at least 10 hours a year on the specific matters covered by the resolution. Training is the company's responsibility and may be delivered by the company itself, by contracted natural or legal persons or by the health authorities; when delivered by third parties, they must demonstrate their technical and scientific competence and their specific training and experience in food hygiene, Good Manufacturing Practices and preventive food-safety systems (Article 12). The plan must contain, at least, the methodology, duration, trainers, schedule and specific topics, with a focus suited to the company, its process and type of establishment; the company must demonstrate the effectiveness of the training through the performance of its staff and the sanitary condition of the establishment (Article 13), and handlers must be trained to understand and manage the control of the process points under their responsibility (Article 13, paragraph 2).

In restaurants and food-service establishments, food handlers must receive training in hygienic food handling through courses run by the local health authority, the company itself or natural or legal persons, taking into account the content, materials and trainer competence set out in Article 12; the health authority verifies compliance with this training during its inspection, surveillance and control activities (Article 36, paragraphs 1 and 2). Training is a separate obligation from the food handler's annual medical examination and medical fitness certificate (Article 11), which have their own tracking date.