It’s impossible to ignore the rapid rise of the food delivery industry. Once limited to Pizza and a few additional food categories, on-demand food delivery services such as DoorDash and Grubhub have revolutionized the way consumers dine. Most any restaurant is now available for delivery and some restaurants have even established ghost kitchens to meet the demand from these home diners.
With restaurants and groceries now on the go, the question should be: do food delivery drivers need food safety training?
Food safety concerns are top-of-mind for people using these services. There is now a third-party in between you and the restaurant that prepared your food. As the industry continues to expand, concerns and dialogue about food safety have become increasingly important. Even the FDA has tossed in its two cents. This is because drivers might not be fully aware of potential food safety hazards without regulation. While restaurants and other food service providers are required to comply with strict food safety regulations, it’s becoming more evident that delivery drivers stand well outside of that scope.
You might wonder what the big deal is. After all, pizza delivery is a tradition dating back several decades. It’s a fair point, so let’s dig a little deeper into the issue of delivery drivers and food safety training.
Main Concerns About Food Safety Training for Delivery Drivers
To start with, temperature control is a big issue. Hot foods must be kept above 140 degrees from pick up to delivery point. Cold foods must be kept below 40 degrees. If these temperatures are not maintained or respected, it could allow for the potential growth of harmful bacteria. A simple delay in traffic without properly insulated bags can easily result in a food safety hazard.
When it comes to delivery drivers and food safety training, we must also be mindful of potential cross-contamination. If a driver delivers multiple orders on the same shift, especially if one is a raw food product or if allergens are present, that driver might not know to practice proper separation or sanitation procedures. This could result in more than just a ruined dinner.
Another area of concern is personal hygiene or the cleanliness of a delivery driver’s personal vehicle. As is often mentioned, handwashing is paramount when it comes to food safety. So, imagine a scenario where a driver doesn’t know or care to wash hands after handling food, cash or even after using a restroom. This is how pathogens find their way into your food. Drivers must be aware of the importance of minimizing contact and practicing good hand hygiene. The driver’s car must also meet basic sanitation standards. On the extreme end, some vehicles are driving colonies of pest infestation.
Do Food Delivery Drivers Need Food Safety Training?
We’ve touched on why delivery drivers should be required to have food safety training and that it’s in the FDA’s sights, but is it currently a regulation or legal requirement? Not in the sense you might hope. There are no federal regulations or requirements at this time. You can check with your state for any local laws or regulations.
As for the popular apps, there is an informal process of guidelines to follow, but not strict requirements for training or requirement to hold that state’s food handler certification. The food is sealed, so that’s the reasoning for the looser safety protocols. However, having guidelines could be interpreted as an admission that these food deliveries are not without risk.
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