OFS relies on donations of nutritious foods from individuals and large corporations. While it is important to provide food for our neighbors in need, it is equally important to make sure that the food distributed is safe to consume.

Read our food safety protocols from our agency manual (pages 22 – 25) and read the guidelines for use of out-of-date products from our products list.

Agency Manual: Food SafetyOut-of-Date Guide

Scroll down for more about our food safety protocols and ServSafe training.

All partners distributing food must have at least one person who is ServSafe Food Handler Certified present during distribution. For those sites that prepare meals on site and/or process highly perishable food items, such as breaking down large portions of meat and cheese into smaller portions, OFS requires that at least one person be ServSafe Manager Certified. That person must be present during all aspects of meal preparation, food processing and meal service to ensure proper food safety practices are being upheld.

These certifications are in compliance with the Health Department, which requires that at least one person within each food service facility be certified in food safety. The ServSafe Manager Certification is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) under the Conference for Food Protection Standards. The ServSafe Food Handlers training is not recognized as adequate training for sites that prepare food and process food on site but provides great basic knowledge of food safety for staff and/or volunteers.

In addition to the food safety protocols in the Agency Manual provided to our community food partner agencies (pantries), OFS also offers ServSafe training to our community partners.

Two-Hour ServSafe Training

Food Handlers basic food safety knowledge

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Full-Day ServSafe Training

Certification and proctored exam recognized by the health department as an accredited food safety training

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For more information contact Carmen Berry, MPH, RD, LD

carmen.berry@operationfoodsearch.org