Impact of Manager Certification on Food Safety Knowledge and Restaurant Health Inspection Scores in Tippecanoe County, Indiana

With many states implementing mandatory certification of food service managers in an effort to improve food safety, it is important to determine the exact impact certification has on food safety. In preparation for a nationwide study, a survey instrument was developed and piloted on Indiana food service managers. The purpose of the survey was to determine relationships between manager certification in safe food handling, knowledge, and health inspection scores. This study was different from previous studies in that it surveyed the manager on duty at the time of the inspection. While there were several parts of the survey that will be modified before the nationwide study, the pilot did reveal several interesting correlations. Perhaps the most interesting was that while certified food managers demonstrated a greater knowledge on the food safety questions, they did not earn better health inspection scores.