A “gold standard” course in food safety has been added to the list of offerings from the Bermuda College.

The ServSafe Food Handler Certification course, administered through the US-based National Restaurant Association, will be led on the island by Rui Da Sa, a ServSafe instructor.

It is aimed at anyone who handles food — from chefs, restaurant owners and bartenders to childcare professionals and senior caregivers — and addresses issues such as food poisoning and bacterial contamination.

The course is being run through the Athora Division of Professional and Career Education.

Tawana Flood, the division’s director, said the certificate was “the gold standard for food sanitation and protection in the US”.

She added: “This course helps people to understand how to keep food safe, particularly for the public.

“This will help to protect customers, patients and the vulnerable if working in a hospital or senior care facility. It will also help protect a business and brand.

“Remember, this is an industry where one mistake can be costly as issues with food often find themselves in the media and social media.

“It is very good for establishments to protect themselves with something like this certificate, which also helps establishments meet health department requirements and maintain good ratings.”

Ms Flood said the college partnered with ServSafe to run the course and had input on the programme from the Department of Health.

The four-hour course will run on two days — July 10 and 12 — at the college.

It costs $249, which includes materials and an exam, with space limited to 15 students for each class.

For more details e-mail APACE@college.bm or find a registration form at college.bm.