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.
Routes of Foodborne Illness & Germs
From your sniffling coworker to the raw chicken on your kitchen cutting board, everyday life is full of potential infectious hazards. With germs so common and seemingly everywhere, knowing how germs spread is vital to preventing infection and foodborne illness. There are seven possible ways for the transmission of bacteria and viruses to take place. Although some of these microorganisms in our environment are good for us and protect us, disease causing pathogens are the germs or bad guys.
Handling Leafy Green Salad
We have had several produce outbreaks of foodborne disease from our lettuce, spinach, and other greens in the last several years that have been devastating to the produce growers and distributors, retail grocery stores, restaurants, and consumers.
Food Packaging Safety in a Vacuum
Extending the shelf life of fresh foods has come a long way in the food industry since curing meats with salt and sugar or canning vegetables with heat processing. The food service and consumer markets needed some better visual packages to draw the eye to the freshness factor and the technology of food packaging has filled our dinner plate. Vacuum packaging and modified atmosphere packaging, shortened to “MAP”, are the terms used for the method of food packaging used every time we choose convenience over more complex scratch meal preparation. According to industry statistics, billions of packages of vacuum and MAP-packaged foods flood the marketplace today. In both modified-atmosphere and vacuum packaging, food is packaged in a pouch made of barrier film.
The Eleven Commandments of Food Safety at Your Restaurant
Lists help us remember all kinds of information. Given the list of recent national foodborne outbreaks in the news, keep repeating this list to your food service team. They are kind of like “commandments”. As a professional in a food service facility we should think of the very basic food safety concepts that every crew member should aspire to learn, even though this list may have different priorities based on your menu. The first 3 apply to anyone who serves food, from a bag of popcorn to a full course meal. As chefs or managers, if we can “set the example” by repeating good food safety practices visibly to the crew, it will help them understand how important it is to the success of your facility. Thou shalt:
