Evaluation of a Fast Food Management Training Program: One Year Later

Area of Science:

• Food safety
• Public health
• Occupational training

Background:

• Evaluating the long-term impact of a fast food restaurant manager training program on sanitation.
• Assessing sanitation quality using USPHS Food Service Sanitation Manual criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the sanitation quality of fast food establishments approximately one year after an initial training program.
• To determine the sustainability of improved sanitary practices among managers who received training.

Main Methods:

• A re-evaluation of 31 fast food establishments was conducted one year after an initial training program.
• Sanitation criteria from the USPHS Food Service Sanitation Manual were used for evaluation.
• Managerial staff changes were noted, with only 12 of the original 31 managers remaining.

Main Results:

• Managers who completed the training program tended to maintain or improve their establishment's sanitary quality.
• Establishments with new managers, hired after the training, typically reverted to pre-training sanitation levels.
• Pre-training sanitation levels were generally unsatisfactory.

Conclusions:

• The fast food manager training program showed positive short-term effects on sanitation.
• Limited manager retention significantly undermines the long-term effectiveness of sanitation training programs.
• Strategies to improve staff retention are crucial for sustained improvements in food service sanitation.