The Iowa Restaurant Association Educational Foundation offers restaurants the opportunity to earn its Food Safety Seal of Commitment.  This voluntary program requires expanded training of all employees and exemplifies an establishment’s commitment to serving safe food. The Food Safety Seal of Commitment includes a formal application/evaluation process with specific benchmarks for employee food safety training.

The Food Safety Seal of Commitment is only awarded to restaurants that have demonstrated food safety training as a top priority for ALL employees—from cashiers and hostesses to management and kitchen staff.

Recognition Requires Ongoing Training                                                        To receive the Iowa Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s Food Safety Seal of Commitment, restaurants must: 

1. Have at least one manager per location who has been trained and certified within the last five years in the ServSafe Manager’s Certification Course, an 8 hour nationally recognized food safety training program offered in Iowa through ISU Extension Services and the IRA.

2. Have at least 75% of all employees trained annually in DineSafe, a two hour short course, based on the ServSafe program, which was developed to train every restaurant employee on food safety, even those not regularly handling or serving food.

3. Implement a continuous new hire food safety training program.

Restaurants must reapply for the Seal of Commitment annually.

Any restaurateur interested in pursuing the IRA Educational Foundation’s Food Safety Seal of Commitment can contact the Iowa Restaurant Association at 800-747-1453.

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