1.1: Food Safety Regulations
In the United States, the required training for handling food safely varies from state to state and sometimes from county to county. Your local health department will be able to specify the regulations in your area.
According to
Premier Food Safety
: "In California, for example, the Food Manager Certification designates a state requirement mandating that at least one employee or owner per food establishment passes an accredited food safety examination, whereas the Food Handler Card refers to a less comprehensive training that is mandatory for all employees who come in direct contact with unpackaged food. Other states, however, use the term food handler certification to refer to the food manager certification."
ServSafe is a company that offers training and certification not only for handling unpackaged food, but also for managing food establishments, serving alcohol, and allergens found in foods. Getting certified with ServSafe is typically recognized across federal, state and local levels. The certificate earned after successfully completing the Food Handler course is valid for three years and the Food Managers Certification is valid for five years. Besides ServSafe, NRFSP, Always Food Safe, AboveTraining, 360 Training, and Prometric are all ANAB-CFP accredited examinations approved in California.