05 Jun Accredited R638 training now online – practical, engaging, affordable

In the first of its kind for South Africa, Entecom has launched an online SETA-accredited R638 Food Safety Training solution to assist the industry with compliance to the new R638 training requirements for the person in charge.

The R638 (Regulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises, the Transport of Food and related matter) – promulgated in June last year – requires that the people in charge of food premises attend accredited food safety training or be trained by a health inspector, has brought a number of challenges with it to the food industry, explains Entecom MD, Janice Giddy (left).

“With the R638 impacting every food handling business in our country, it means that the person in charge of every food business, even those such as the ‘Fish and Chips corner store in Springbok’ and other remote areas, far from main cities, need to travel long distances to attend classroom training,” she says.

“For small business owners or managers, being away from their businesses for two or three days can be expensive and stressful.

“In addition to this, trying to keep up with the mountains of paperwork that the SETA requires at every stage of the training process is exceptionally tiresome and can suck the joy out of the training experience for both training provider and learner.

“Classroom training is, therefore, not an optimal or practical solution for SMEs in SA,” she says.

With these challenge in mind, Entecom has been hard at work compiling a video-based online training solution which offers online, accredited R638 food safety training for the person in charge.

With the assistance of its online LMS platform partner, Cumulus Blue, Entecom’s new course upholds the SETA requirements and offers quality video-based training that, she asserts, “is practical and engaging, while streamlining administrative processes considerably”.

“Entecom has taken the lead, using technology to overcome challenges, and provides convenience, affordability and flexibility for the person in charge.

“This will not only assist with the R638 training compliance, but will hopefully be the start of the ‘rotational pull of the fly-wheel’ of positive change in food safety standards across our country,” she adds.

Visit the Entecom shop for all the details on this new offer – click here