Xuhui rolls out online training for food industry

Hu Min

The city's first online training platform aimed at food industry staff was launched by the market supervision watchdog in Xuhui District on Wednesday.

The platform offers courses on catering services and food sales and manufacturing, and industry employees are able to pick suitable courses matching their positions.

The platform uses videos and presentations to make lessons more understandable, said Xuhui District Market Supervision and Management Bureau.

In catering service courses, videos show standard operating procedures for food processing, cleaning and kitchen disinfection.

Exams are offered after all courses, and those who pass will receive an online certificate.

"The number of people working in the food industry is huge and highly mobile," said Ding Lei, director of the bureau's food supervision and management department.

"In the past, only one to two persons in management positions at food businesses participated in trainings organized by authorities due to venue and time limits. Other workers could only learn by themselves or attend trainings organized by companies, making the effect far from satisfactory," Ding said.

The platform is available on WeChat.

"The platform allows catering employees to learn anytime anywhere with a cellphone," said Ding.

Food businesses said the certificates would be an advantage for their staff.

"It's an extra when we recruit employees if they obtain the certificate," said Wu Bing with the Huaihai Road outlet of Dadong, a Peking duck restaurant.

"The platform is convenient, and I can learn in my spare time, say when I'm taking the subway or after work," said Wang Liang, a restaurant worker in Xuhui.

"We will promote the 'online class' to all food-manufacturing and operation businesses in the district and update courses regularly to enhance training," said bureau official Wu Jianguo.

Hu Min