Finding the Food Safety Training Program that is Right for You
… if my business were ever the source of a foodborne illness outbreak, I would certainly want to know that I had done everything in my power to protect my guests and having trained my employees who work on the front lines with the food I serve in my business would be the very least that I could do.
However, I don’t know about you, but if my business were ever the source of a foodborne illness outbreak, I would certainly want to know that I had done everything in my power to protect my guests and having trained my employees who work on the front lines with the food I serve in my business would be the very least that I could do. Thus, below is a list of all organizations who are currently certified to offer the food safety certification exam and some basic information about the program. Accredited Food Manager Examinations[1]
| Name of Organization | Website | Format | Cost | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAA Food Safety | https://aaafoodhandler.com/food-manager-certification | Training: Online Exam: Remote proctoring | Training & Exam: $99.95 Exam only: $69.95 Training Only: $49.95 | The $99.95 rate only provides one attempt to pass the exam. There is a “Diamond Package” available for $119.95 that provides one free retreat. |
| WFSO Academy | https://academy.worldfoodsafety.org/#/fpm | Training: Online Exam: Remote or in-person at test site | Exam, remote proctoring: $95.00 Exam, in-person at test site: $125.00 Training: $12 – $95.00 | Study courses are priced individually but can also be purchased in a comprehensive bundle. Access to the course is available for one year. |
| Certus / StateFoodSafety.com | https://www.statefoodsafety.com/ | Training: online Exam: In-person or online, remote proctoring available | Training & Exam: $78.00[2] + proctor fee (varies, usually around $50) Training only: $65.00 Exam only: $28.00 plus proctor fee (varies, usually around $50) | If you fail the exam, you must repurchase a new exam, however the course remains free. Examinee must repurchase the exam and register for an exam session for each attempted retake. |
| 360training.com, Inc. | https://www.360training.com/learn2serve | Training: Online Exam: Remote proctoring, cost included with both the training and exam package and the exam only option. | Training & Exam: $121.00 Exam only: $69.99 | Students allowed two attempts to pass the exam with no additional cost. Not approved for New York City |
| My Food Service License | https://myfoodservicelicense.com/ | Training: Online Exam: Remote proctoring. | Training & Exam: $199.00 Exam only: $100.00 Training only: $161.00 | Normal prices are reported. At the time of the audit, the training and exam were “on sale” for $169.00 and the training only was $115.00. |
| National Registry of Food Safety Professionals | https://www.nrfsp.com/ | Training: It appears this is designed for in-person training, but self-study options are allowed. There is an affiliate network that provides online training for an additional cost. Exam: Online or in-person | Training & Exam: $70.95 Self-Study Training Materials: $23.00-$103.95 Exam only: $80.00 | Of accredited programs, this was the most complicated of the websites to navigate in order to determine what you needed to purchase to obtain the certification. |
| National Restaurant Association | https://www.servsafe.com/ | Training: In-person or online Exam: In-person or online, remote proctoring available. | Training & Exam: In-person costs will vary; online $179.00 Exam only with online proctoring: $99.00 Online Exam Voucher only: $36.00 | If you fail the exam, you must repurchase a new exam, however the course remains free. |
| Trust20 | https://trust20.co/ | Training: Online, remote proctored. Exam: Online | Training: $90.00 Exam only: $90.00 | If you fail the exam, you must repurchase a new exam. The training is available, but only results in a “certificate”, not certification. There does not appear to be a combined training/exam package with a reduced rate. |
| Responsible Training | https://www.responsibletraining.com/ | Training: Online, remote proctored by Examity. Exam: Online | Training & Exam: $119.99 Exam only: $64.99 | Students allowed two attempts to pass the exam with no additional cost. |
| The Always Food Safe Company, LLC | https://alwaysfoodsafe.com/en/ | Training: Online Exam: Remote proctoring, cost included with both the training and exam package and the exam only option. | Training & Exam: $78.00 + Remote Proctor Fee of $48.00 Exam only: $28.00 + Remote Proctor Fee of $48.00 | Students allowed two attempts to pass the exam with no additional cost. |
[1] Information is current as of 9/26/2023 [2] Fee is specific to the state and, in some cases, the county. It appears that most are $78.00.
The Alphabet Soup of Hepatitis and Why it Should Concern Foodservice Operators.
Late in July, I was made aware that World Hepatitis Day was on July 28th. I do have to be honest – similar to most of you reading this, I was surprised there was such a thing. After doing a bit of research, I discovered July 28th was named as such to recognize the birthday of Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who first discovered the hepatitis B virus in 1967 and then two years later developed the first hepatitis B vaccine. Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recognize the day to help raise awareness about hepatitis, which impacts over 300 million across the globe and causes more than one million deaths a year.
Food Recalls: Another Important Reason to Have a Sound Traceability Program in your Foodservice Operation
Earlier in the month, I discussed a bit about the proposed traceability rules that may be coming out soon. One result of implementing the proposed rule and improving overall food traceability in your operation is the ability of those in the food chain to quickly identify and pull product involved in a food recall.
Food Traceability in Foodservice Operations: An Essential, and Soon-to-be Required, Component of your Food Safety Plan
In June, I discussed the importance of having a solid food defense plan, and I provided you some resources for developing or strengthening your food defense plan. As I was writing those blogs, my mind kept turning toward food traceability. While they are distinctly different concepts, food traceability goes hand-in-hand with a food defense program. I would argue for your food defense plan to be effective, you must have an effective internal food traceability program, where you can trace the product back to the supplier (backward traceability), but also be able to trace the product from the supplier to the guest who was served the product (forward traceability).
Food Defense Plan Resources – at just the right price…
Earlier in the month, I discussed the importance of having a solid food defense plan in place for your foodservice operation. Even if the first version of your plan is not perfect, it is a start. Having plans down on paper will force you to think through the process and ensure the vulnerable points where opportunities exist for possible contamination within the operation are mitigated.
