Virtual Food Safety Training: The New Normal

Training has always been at the core of any system implementation or any change that needs to be made, no matter the activity. In Food Safety, training helps us to understand the direct impact we have on both the food production activities and on the safety of the consumer. As a result, Food Safety training is one of the key components which can make or break a Food Safety Management System.

As mentioned in a recent IFC article on “Coaching: The key element for successful implementation of a sustainable Food Safety Management System” (see www.ifc.org/foodsafety), IFC Food Safety trainings have always been designed to ensure that the participants gain new knowledge and skills and also change his/her attitude toward food safety. The trainings facilitate a thorough understanding of the background knowledge of the food safety team and establish an effective link between the current and targeted knowledge so that the participants can readily adopt the new knowledge.

In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionized the way that we live and work. As a result, the IFC team has had to move its usual training delivery from the classroom mode to the virtual mode.  

So, what does virtual Food Safety training really entail? How can one prepare to deliver it? And what are the pros and cons of this new trend?

Traditionally, IFC has delivered food safety training in a classroom setting. We are used to the benefits of traditional, face-to-face training, which include direct interaction between participants and with the facilitator and the ability to do practical exercises in groups. In considering moving training to the virtual mode, we need to understand that a training delivered face-to-face cannot be delivered virtually without being “converted” into a mode that will enhance learning in this specific context. Research has found that the way people learn is different depending on whether they are in a classroom or attend a course online. Individuals tend to lose focus more quickly when they are in front of a computer or other device than they do in a live classroom. It therefore goes without saying that there needs to be a way to not only keep participants’ attention without compromising the training content, while also ensuring that your material is as accessible as possible in the e-context for the learner.

This is where using instructional designers as the first step in courses conversion, to Redesign your existing Food Safety course, is helpful (see the following link:  https://www.growlearnconnect.org/converting-training-for-online-learning#vtab-0).

There are basically three different ways in which virtual Food Safety training can be delivered:

• The  first is self-study where participants complete learning experiences independently, without interaction with an instructor. An example of this is the “Foodborne  Illnesses and Personnel Hygiene” course, which can be found on our website www.ifc.org/foodsafety

• The second is virtual where the training is done through a live session held via technology like a webinar so that the instructor and the participants do not need to be co-located.

• The third way is a mix of both previous ways where participants learn in the two learning modalities: they complete self-study e-learning experiences and have virtual, instructor-facilitated sessions.

In a second step, Convert the course. Thereafter, move to the third step which is to Choose the technological platform to be used. Options include, but are not limited to: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, or Google Classroom.  

In the final fourth step,  Enhance online delivery skills. Indeed, just like for a classroom training, facilitators need to be well acquainted with the training material and in our case of virtual training, also with the technology. To prepare as a trainer,  go through the entire course yourself, not only as a trainer but also as a participant to appreciate, identify and sort out the possible loopholes or issues which can come about beforehand.

Below are a few tips that can be of help before and during virtual Food Safety training:

• Platform: It is important to make sure there is a good connection network on both sides (trainers and participants). It should also be user friendly and consider any limitations of the participants, including special needs and access to technology.
• Duration: Remember the audience and the attention span of online learners. Keep training short and provide breaks in live, online learning. 
• Participants: Gather information about your participants ahead of the training and throughout the training to assess their knowledge in Food Safety as it will help in customizing the course delivery for things like talking speed and use of video on the trainer’s side. If participants are in large numbers (8 or more), it can prove more efficient to have co-located participants join in a conference room instead of connecting individually with their own devices to lower network connection issues
• Trainers: It is recommended to have at least 2 facilitators in case of connection issues and also to promote live interaction with participants, monitor chat (comments, questions) and moderate the training.

To finish with, let’s talk about the advantages of a virtual Food Safety training: It allows for the continuity of trainings in case one cannot travel for some reason (such as travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic). It is also possible to reach many more people geographically than in the case of face-to-face training as physical location is no longer a barrier. It also reduces costs inherent to travel, stress on the trainers, adapts to the learners in a more flexible way and allows for scalability .

 On the disadvantages, we can cite the fact that people just aren't used to learning in the virtual environment, so the learning curve is doubled--on the course content and on the method of taking the course. It is also to be  noted that connectivity issues are always at the heart of the virtual world, especially in some geographical areas that do not necessarily benefit from good network.  

At last, the post-COVID world may not see the complete disappearance of virtual Food Safety training. On the contrary, we may need to make it an integral part of the delivery options available for a training. And one thing we must keep in mind is that every approach, be it virtual or in the classroom, has advantages and disadvantages but the onus is on us to make the best out of every situation. To this effect, see chapter 5 (https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33547) on Food Safety training of the new version of the IFC Food Safety Handbook: it is available in 3 languages. Also watch the IFC webinar on “Food Safety Training in the New Normal” : very insightful thoughts were provided by Mark L. Nielsen and Mandy Grant. Finally keep abreast of more online materials, food safety courses at our website www.ifc.org/foodsafety.