Food Handler Training

For restaurant, café, food truck, school and event food handlers: keep food safe from delivery to plate using the FDA Food Code's temperatures, hygiene and allergen rules.

For: Restaurant, café, food truck, school cafeteria, catering and event food handlers, including cooks, prep staff, servers, bartenders, dishwashers and new hires

  • 2 contact hours
  • 8 modules
  • 11 interactives
  • 4 job aids
  • Updated October 7, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Identify biological, chemical, physical and allergen hazards, the Big 6 pathogens, and which layer of food safety rules (federal law, FDA Food Code model, state or local code) applies to your kitchen.
  • Apply Food Code personal hygiene rules: report reportable symptoms, diagnoses and exposures, wash hands correctly, and prevent bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food.
  • Control time and temperature for TCS foods using °F limits for thawing, cooking, hot and cold holding, two-stage cooling, reheating, date marking and time as a public health control.
  • Prevent cross-contamination and allergen cross-contact for the 9 major food allergens in storage, preparation and service.
  • Receive and store food safely, clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces at the correct strength, and prevent pests.
  • Follow your food safety plan and records, act correctly during inspections and incidents, and determine what food handler card rules apply in your state or county.

Learn the food safety habits that prevent most foodborne illness: when to report illness and stay home, how to wash hands and avoid bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food, the exact °F numbers for receiving, cooking, cooling, reheating and holding, how to keep the 9 major allergens out of the wrong plate, and how to clean, sanitize and keep pests out. You will practice with a walk-in cooler audit, a receiving-log review, a dish room check, an illness decision tool and a branching catering scenario.

Built for anyone who handles food or food-contact surfaces in commercial food service: line cooks, prep staff, servers, baristas, bartenders, dishwashers, food truck crews, school cafeteria staff and event vendors. Every module follows a different US kitchen, from a poke counter in Honolulu to a dining hall in Ann Arbor.

The course is based on the FDA Food Code, including what changed in the 2026 edition, and it explains how federal law, the Food Code model and your state or local code fit together. It also explains state food handler card rules honestly: this course is a certificate of completion, not an accredited food handler card program, and it shows you how to check what your state or county requires.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Call your manager before your shift if you have vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice or a sore throat with fever, or a Big 6 diagnosis.
  2. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds at a hand sink, and use tongs, deli paper or fresh gloves for every ready-to-eat item.
  3. Probe-check food at receiving, cooking, holding and cooling, and log the real reading at the time you take it.
  4. Load the cooler with ready-to-eat food on top and raw poultry on the bottom, and date-mark everything you prep.
  5. Check every label and use clean tools when a guest reports a food allergy, and say "I'll check" instead of guessing.
  6. Test your sanitizer with the right strip and remake it when it is weak or dirty.

Curriculum

8 modules · 27 lessons · about 2 contact hours

01Why does food safety matter, and what makes food unsafe?Free preview12 min
  1. How big is the problem?
  2. What can make food unsafe?
  3. Whose rules are you following?
  • Sort activity: What kind of hazard is it?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

02When must you report illness, and how do you wash your hands the right way?12 min
  1. What must you report to your manager?
  2. Exclusion or restriction: what happens next?
  3. How do you wash your hands the Food Code way?
  • Decision tree: Should this food employee work today?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

03How do you keep hands and raw foods away from ready-to-eat food?11 min
  1. Why can't you touch ready-to-eat food with bare hands?
  2. How do you use single-use gloves correctly?
  3. How does cross-contamination happen, and how do you stop it?
  • Spot the issue: Walk-in cooler walkthrough

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

04Which foods need temperature control, and how do you receive, thaw and cook them safely?13 min
  1. What is a TCS food, and what is the danger zone?
  2. What do you check when a delivery arrives?
  3. How do you store and thaw food safely?
  4. What temperatures must cooked foods reach?
  • Sort activity: TCS or not?
  • Spot the issue: Food truck receiving log

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

05How do you hold, cool, reheat and date-mark food without losing control?13 min
  1. How do you hold food hot or cold?
  2. Why is cooling done in two stages?
  3. How do you reheat food for hot holding?
  4. How do date marking and time-only control work?
  • Branching scenario: Saturday catering: the brisket and the beans

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

06How do you protect customers with food allergies?11 min
  1. What are the 9 major food allergens?
  2. What is cross-contact, and how do you prevent it?
  3. What should you say, and what do you do if a customer reacts?
  • Matching activity: Find the hidden allergen

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

07How do you clean, sanitize and keep pests out?11 min
  1. What is the difference between cleaning and sanitizing?
  2. How do you wash dishes by hand?
  3. How do you keep pests out?
  • Sort activity: Clean and sanitize, or clean on a schedule?
  • Spot the issue: Dish room at closing

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

08How do food safety plans, inspections, incidents and food handler cards work?13 min
  1. What is a food safety plan, and where does HACCP fit?
  2. What happens during a health inspection?
  3. How do you respond to incidents?
  4. Do you need a food handler card?
  • Self-assessment: How strong are your food safety habits?
  • State rules selector: Food handler card rules and Food Code edition by state

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 40 questions, 75% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

Saturday catering: the brisket and the beans

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

Saturday catering: the brisket and the beans

You are Mateo Silva, prep cook for a catering company in San Diego, California. It is Friday at 4 p.m. Tomorrow's 200-guest event needs smoked brisket and a large batch of charro beans, both cooked today and reheated on site.

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Sort activity3
  • Decision tree1
  • Spot the issue3
  • Branching scenario1
  • Matching activity1
  • Self-assessment1
  • State rules selector1

Job aids you keep

  • Food Temperature Log (Cooking, Holding, Cooling, Reheating)Log
  • Kitchen Cleaning and Sanitizing ScheduleChecklist
  • Allergen Matrix Worksheet (9 Major Allergens)Worksheet
  • HACCP-Style Process Worksheet (Food Handler Edition)Worksheet

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

This course awards a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. It does not currently hold accreditation from the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) under ASTM E2659, it has not been approved by any state or local health department, and it is not a food handler card or a certified food protection manager credential. Where your state, county or city requires a food handler card from an accredited program (for example, California, Texas and Illinois), this course does not replace that card. Use it for learning, onboarding and refresher training, and check with your employer and your health department about the card or training you need.

Pathways we are pursuing or may pursue include ANAB accreditation of this program under ASTM E2659, which many states and counties require for food handler cards, and IACET accreditation of our course development process. No approval or accreditation exists today; we will show any accreditation on this page only after it is granted.

Our full approvals list

State notes

The science in this course comes from the FDA Food Code, but the law your inspector enforces is your state or local food code. States adopt Food Code editions on their own schedule and often modify them. FDA's adoption report (as of December 31, 2024) showed state agencies using editions from 2005 through 2022, and the 2026 edition was published on September 30, 2026, so it will take years to be widely adopted. In some states, different agencies (for example, agriculture and health departments) use different editions.

  • Numbers can differ slightly. Hold times for ground meat and poultry, and some details on cooling, date marking and glove use, vary by edition and state. Minnesota's food code, for example, pairs 155°F and 165°F with 15-second hold times.
  • Food handler cards are state or local. There is no federal card. California requires a card within 30 days of hire from an ANSI-accredited provider meeting ASTM E2659, valid 3 years, with the employer paying for training and exam time (Health and Safety Code §113948). Texas requires accredited food handler training within 30 days of employment, accredited by the Department of State Health Services or ANSI, and bars local jurisdictions from requiring a separate local card for those certificates (Health and Safety Code §438.046; 25 TAC §228.31). Illinois requires ANSI-accredited training within 30 days of employment, renewed every 3 years (410 ILCS 625/3.06).
  • Counties and cities add rules. In several states, a county or city health department runs its own card program. Ask your local health department.
  • Allergen training laws. Some states have separate allergen-awareness rules for restaurants. For example, Rhode Island requires food service establishments to designate a manager knowledgeable about food allergies (R.I. Gen. Laws §23-20.12-2).
  • Manager certification. Most codes require a certified food protection manager on staff; this is a separate, higher-level credential.

What to check locally: your state or county food code and the edition it is based on; whether a food handler card is required, which programs are accepted and how soon after hire; any allergen training or posting rules; and your employer's written procedures. When in doubt, call your local health department.

Questions about this course

Is this course a food handler card?

No. This course earns a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours. It does not currently hold ANAB accreditation under ASTM E2659, which states such as California, Texas and Illinois require for food handler cards or training. If your state or county requires a card, take an accredited program for the card and use this course for deeper learning, onboarding or refresher training. Check with your employer and health department.

Which version of the FDA Food Code does this course follow?

It follows the FDA Food Code and notes changes in the 2026 edition, published September 30, 2026, such as the jewelry clarification, the new vomit and diarrhea clean-up section and the double-glove provision. Your state or county may still use an older edition with slightly different wording or hold times. Always follow your local code.

Who is this course for?

Anyone who handles food, ice, utensils or food-contact surfaces in commercial food service: cooks, prep staff, servers, baristas, bartenders, dishwashers, food truck crews, caterers, school cafeteria staff and event vendors. Long-term care kitchens have their own course, and managers building HACCP plans should take our HACCP courses.

How long does the course take?

About 2 hours: eight modules of roughly 10 to 15 minutes, each with a real-world scenario, a short interactive activity and a knowledge check, followed by a 40-question final exam. You need 75% to pass. You can stop and resume at any time.

What will I get when I finish?

A certificate of completion showing the course title, 2 contact hours and your completion date, plus four downloadable job aids: a temperature log, a cleaning and sanitizing schedule, an allergen matrix worksheet and a HACCP-style process worksheet. You will also get three short refresher questions by email over the following month.

Does the course cover my state's rules?

It explains how state and local codes adopt the Food Code and includes a state tool showing the Food Code edition each state agency had adopted, plus verified food handler card rules for California, Texas and Illinois. Rules for other states and many counties are still being verified, so always confirm with your local health department.

This course is general education and food safety training awareness from CE Courses Hub. It is not legal, medical or professional advice and does not replace your state or local food code, your health department's direction, your employer's food safety policies, or advice from a qualified professional. It is not a food handler card or a certified food protection manager credential. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement.