Retail food handlers are the last line of defense against foodborne illnesses. Yet, even after food handlers complete training or receive certificates, preventable illnesses are often transmitted to customers and workers at retail food establishments. This presentation dives into the gaps in retail food handler knowledge and information retention as well as provides approaches to address them. The National Environmental Health Association in partnership with the National Restaurant Association surveyed retail food handlers who participated in accredited food handler training to assess knowledge retention. This project is one of several conducted by members of the Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaborative (Collaborative). This session will provide audiences with more information about the findings and outcomes of this knowledge retention study survey including how the collected data will be analyzed and used, our approaches to bridging the identified gaps, and how these projects fit into the Collaborative’s overall efforts to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness. Join this session if you want to learn about: - critical elements of food handler certificate training programs that aid in knowledge retention - How using the knowledge and skills learned during training in the work environment impacts what food handlers remember and put into practice - the gaps in knowledge retention we found in our study - the strategies that will be used to bridge gaps we discovered