Food Handler FAQ

Who is considered a food handler?

Food employee or food handler means an individual working with unpackaged food, food equipment or utensils, or food-contact surfaces. Food employee or food handler does not include unpaid volunteers or temporary events.

Who is required to have food handler training?

Any food handler working in Illinois unless that person has a valid Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certification or is an unpaid volunteer. If someone working in a facility is not a food handler on a regular basis but fills in as a food handler when needed, they must have food handler training.

Who is NOT required to have food handler training?

Anyone working in a facility who is not a food handler (as defined above), unpaid volunteers, or any food handler who has a valid Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certification are not required to have training. Temporary food establishment employees are also exempt from the food handler training requirement.

What is a restaurant?

Restaurant means any business that is primarily engaged in the sale of ready-to-eat food for immediate or on-site consumption, including concessions and other food service establishments. Where primarily engaged means having sales of ready-to-eat food for immediate consumption comprising of at least 51% of the total sales, excluding the sale of liquor, as defined in Section 3 of the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act.

What type of training is offered for restaurants?

Food handler courses with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approval can be found on the ANSI website.

The course and assessment can be completed online, 24 hours/day and does not need to be monitored by an instructor. Upon passing the assessment, the food handler certificate is available to be printed immediately. A local health department that has an IDPH approved training program may provide training for restaurants. In addition, any business with a training program approved in another state prior to August 27, 2013 may provide training if registered with IDPH.

How is the training administered?

Training can be online, on a computer, in a classroom, by live or remote trainers, and by certified food service sanitation managers. For food handlers working in restaurants, the training must be ANSI approved unless their local health department has been approved by IDPH to provide food handler training to restaurants or they work for a business with an IDPH approved internal training program.

Will everyone receiving food handler training receive a certificate?

Not every food handler training course will issue a certificate, but proof of training must be available in the facility upon the request of an inspector. Proof of training can be in the form of a written or electronic list that contains the food handler’s name, training received, and date of training. ANSI approved food handler training courses will issue a certificate upon passing the assessment.

How long is the certificate valid?

The ANSI food handler training certificates are good for three years. Those taking other types of trainings who work in restaurants and other non-restaurant facilities, such as nursing homes, licensed day care homes and facilities, hospitals, schools, and long-term care facilities, are also good for three years. Those working in non-restaurants, other than those listed above, are not required to take another food handler training unless they go to work for another employer. Food handler training for those working in non-restaurants is not transferable between employers.

Will my food handler certificate be valid throughout Illinois?

Restaurant food handler training certificates are valid throughout the state unless the training was obtained at a business through an IDPH approved internal training program.

Who can teach food handler courses?

Anyone can teach food handler training courses. It is important to remember, it is not who is teaching the training, but that you receive the appropriate training based on whether you work in a restaurant or non-restaurant.

What is a non-restaurant?

Non-restaurants are facilities, such as nursing homes, licensed day care homes and facilities, hospitals, schools, long-term care facilities, and retail food stores.

What type of training is offered for non-restaurants?

Any food handler training course registered and approved by IDPH is acceptable for food handlers in non-restaurants.

How long is the certificate valid?

Those working in non-restaurants are not required to take another food handler training unless they go to work for another employer or if they work in nursing homes, licensed day care homes and facilities, hospitals, schools, or long-term care facilities. Food handlers working in those facilities must receive training every three years. Food handler training for those working in non-restaurants is not transferable between employers.

Will my food handler certificate be valid throughout Illinois?

No. Non-restaurant training is not transferable between employers.

Will the state issue food handler certifications?

No. The state does not issue food handler certifications.

Is the employer responsible for paying for food handler training?

No. An employer is not responsible for paying for food handler training since it is the property of the certificate holder.

I want to offer an ANSI accredited food handler training at my business for my employees only. What should I do?

You will need to choose an ANSI accredited food handler training provider that offers classroom materials.

You do not need to register an ANSI accredited food handler training program with IDPH.

Is there a set fee for the course?

No. The act states there has to be at least one food handler training option available for $15.00 or less and there are multiple ANSI approved programs available online at that price.

Do nursing or therapy staff working in a hospital, nursing home, etc. need to have food handler training?

Nursing and therapy staff are not required to have food handler training. Even though some nursing and therapy staff may deliver trays or assist patients with feeding, the intention of the food handler training requirement is for food handlers working in the food preparation and food service areas of the facility that fall under the Illinois Food Code. However, because nursing and therapy staff serve a highly susceptible population, food handler training is encouraged.

Are teachers in day care or other child care centers required to have food handler training?

Because some day care and child care centers portion, serve, and the children consume their meals in the classroom outside of the facility’s food preparation area, food handler training is encouraged because of the highly susceptible population. It is not required because the classrooms do not fall under the Illinois Food Code.

I work at a summer food site. Do I need food handler training?

Yes. Food handlers working at summer food sites are required to have food handler training.

Will volunteers be required to have food handler training?

No. Only paid food employees need to have food handler training.

If retail food establishments also have a deli or produce (cutting fruits and vegetables for trays/fruit salads) section, do the deli and produce employees, but not stockers/cashiers, need food handler training?

Retail stores with delis would be considered non-restaurant and everyone meeting the definition of a food handler would need training.

If a grocery store has a bakery, deli, salad bar, and coffee shop inside, is the grocery store considered a non-restaurant and the deli, bakery, considered restaurants?

A grocery store is a retail food store, along with other retail stores that sell clothing and housewares and are considered a non-restaurant even though they have multiple food operations under that same roof. If the retail store is the owner/operator of the food operations, then it is considered a non-restaurant as a whole. If the retail store has a food operation in it that is run by a third party, then that specific food operation would be considered a restaurant and the retail store would be considered a non-restaurant (only if it had other food handlers in that facility).

Are convenience stores that may only have hot dogs on a rotating grill as a food item classified as a restaurant or non-restaurant?

Convenience stores with gas stations would be considered non-restaurant. Those convenience stores that do not sell gas, only food items and have roller grills with food handling taking place could be considered a restaurant, but the local health department needs to decide based on other items, such as lottery and cigarettes, that the facility might also sell along with ready-to-eat foods.

Do temporary or mobile food stands (cotton candy/corn dogs/shake-ups) require food handling certificates?

Mobile food establishments employees are required to have food handler training. Temporary events are exempt from the food handler training requirement.

Will places not permitted by local health departments, such as churches and clubs (Lions, Elks, Masonic lodges), require food handler training?

Yes. Most clubs should already be permitted by local health departments because they have kitchens, and their employees serve the public. Volunteers are exempt from the training requirement. If a church is just doing temporary events, they would not need food handler training, as temporary food establishment employees are exempt from having food handler training.

If a food service establishment is not inspected by the local health department, do they still need food handler training?

Yes. If the establishment falls under the Illinois Food Code, any employee meeting the definition of a food handler would need food handler training.

Do the mentally disabled working in a facility, restaurant, or non-restaurant need to have food handler training?

Any food handler employed by a restaurant or non-restaurant must have training. There are several options for training (classroom, hands-on, DVDs, online) that can be used, and the assessment, in most cases, can be taken multiple times. Food handlers that are not paid employees would be considered volunteers and are not required to have training.

How do I submit a training program to the IDPH for approval?

Applications are accepted online.

If this is the first time using the IDPH system, register as a new user and then click on new applications where you see the food handler training program application noted. Complete the food handler training online application, upload a copy of the presentation and assessment that you will be using, and submit. There is currently no fee to have a food handler training program approved by IDPH.

What am I required to cover in my food handler training program?

If you are a non-restaurant creating your own food handler training program, it must cover the five required topic areas listed in the act (410 ILCS 625/3.05) and you must provide an assessment. Both the presentation/course used in your training and the assessment are required to be submitted to IDPH for approval online, as described above.

What is the required score a student must receive to pass food handler training course?

The passing score is up to the individual food handler training program. There is no minimum score required by IDPH.

How long is my approved food handler training program valid?

Once approved by IDPH, it remains valid and does not need to be resubmitted.

How will my local health department know my food handler training course is approved by IDPH?

It is the responsibility of the food establishment or food worker to provide proof to the local health department/inspector that they are using an approved program by showing them a copy of the ANSI accredited food handler training certificate or proof of approval by IDPH, such as the confirmation issued via email upon approval.