Palm Beach County Food Bank Logo
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate

FOOD SAFETY

The following resources will assist you in the proper handling of food.

Palm Beach County Food Bank (PBCFB) takes food safety very seriously.  Below are some frequently asked questions we receive about food safety:


Where can I get food safety certified?

It's easy to get food safety certified online!  The two online classes that we recommend for our partner agencies are the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals and 360training.com.  PBCFB will accept a passing food handler certification from either of these Florida Department of Health (FLDOH)-approved providers, as well as other reputable food safety test providers.


Where can I find out more about food recalls?


There are two federal agencies that are tasked with keeping our food supply safe: the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The USDA oversees food safety for meat, fish, poultry, and egg products.  All other food product safety is overseen by the FDA.  You can sign up to receive food recall alerts from FoodSafety.gov by clicking HERE.


PBCFB communicates with our partner agencies when we become aware of recalls that could affect our partner agencies.


Why does our agency receive food that is past its expiration date?


PBCFB follows food safety guidelines to make sure that the food we distribute is safe to consume.  Many people are not aware that the best-by, sell-by and other expiration dates found on food products are actually about a food product's quality, not safety.  The only expiration dates that must be followed for safety are the expiration dates found on baby food. 


PBCFB sorts our food according to food safety guidelines for donated food recommended by the USDA.  You can view our user-friendly guide HERE.


Where can I find out more about expiration, best-by, and sell-by dates?

FoodSafety.gov has a great website with lots of food safety information as well as an app called FoodKeeper that you can download to your phone. 

Share by: