As part of the restaurant industry’s ongoing commitment to food safety, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) will hold its annual National Food Safety Month (NFSM) this September.

This year’s campaign will spotlight the increasing importance of food-allergen awareness and build public knowledge for the restaurant and foodservice industry’s dedication to all aspects of food-safety education and training.

NFSM will highlight components of NRA’s ServSafe Food Safety program, particularly the recently launched ServSafe Allergens online course designed to help front- and back-of-the-house employees better accommodate the growing number of guests with food allergies.

“Food safety and allergen training is a top priority for our nation’s nearly one million restaurant and foodservice establishments,” says William Weichelt, NRA’s ServSafe director. “Food allergens affect more than 15 million Americans nationwide. Food-safety education, especially regarding allergens, is vital to restaurant operators across the country as they continue to provide high-quality dining experiences to over 130 million guests daily. We look forward to highlighting the important strides NRA and our partners are making with food-allergen awareness and training this September.”

Food allergies affect more than 15 million Americans. To enhance their safety whenever they dine out, NRA partnered with FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) to create the ServSafe Allergens online course.   

SCA, a global hygiene company and makers of the Tork brand of away-from-home paper products, is continuing its commitment to promoting food and is a sponsor of National Food Safety Month. 2013 marks its third year of sponsorship.

“SCA’s Tork brand is proud to be a National Food Safety Month sponsor for the third consecutive year,” says Suzanne Cohen, marketing director, foodservice, SCA Americas. “As food allergies are on the rise, understanding the precautions required when serving guests with these allergies is critical. We want to make sure our partners in the foodservice industry know how to take the appropriate actions in order to avoid serious allergic reactions.”

NRA highlighted the increasing importance of food-allergy training through its video entitled “Avoid Reaction by Taking Action.”