Which products should I assign my staff?

Frontline staff (cooks, servers, prep and dish staff)
→ Food Handler Certificate Training
This course covers food safety basics for anyone who handles, prepares or serves food. It takes about 60–90 minutes.

Staff who need allergen awareness training
→ Food Allergy Certificate Training
Some states and cities require allergen training, and many operators add it for front-of-house staff and anyone who takes orders. It takes about 60–90 minutes.

Managers and persons in charge who need to be certified
→ CFPM Exam, and usually Food Manager Training too
Most health departments require at least one Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) per establishment. Only passing the proctored CFPM Exam certifies a manager. Food Manager Training prepares them for it, but it isn’t a certification on its own.

For most managers, we recommend assigning both. The training takes about 4–6 hours, and the exam has a 2-hour time limit. See Food Manager Training vs. CFPM exam.

Before your manager takes the exam: it’s proctored online through Honorlock. They’ll need Google Chrome, a webcam, a valid government-issued ID, and a quiet, private room. Work computers sometimes block the extensions the exam needs, so it’s worth checking ahead of time. See Is my computer compatible with remote proctoring?

Ohio locations

Ohio Person-in-Charge (Level 1): assign this to the person in charge on each shift. The certificate doesn’t expire.
Ohio Manager Certification (Level 2): required for Ohio Department of Health certification, with at least one supervisor per facility. Choose the Level 2 bundle, which enrolls them in both the Ohio Food Manager Training and the CFPM Exam, and costs less than inviting them to each one separately. If your supervisor is already ODH-certified as a Food Protection Manager, contact us, because they may only need the training.

See Food Manager Certification in Ohio and Ohio Person-in-Charge Certification.

Staff who serve alcohol
→ Alcohol Server Training
This course is available for Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio and West Virginia only.

A few tips before you invite

Check your local requirements first. Requirements vary by state, county and city, and some areas only accept their own food handler programs. Look up your area on our State Requirements page.
Invite carefully. Usage is billed when an invitation is sent, not when it’s accepted, so double-check the product and email address before you send. See How does Teams monthly billing work?
Staff have one year to finish. Courses lock one year after purchase if they’re not completed. See How long do my staff have to take their courses?

Ready to assign?
See How do I invite my staff to enroll in a training and/or exam?

Related articles

Which products should I assign my staff?

The right product for each staff member depends on their role and on your state or local health department’s requirements. Here’s a quick guide to choosing what to invite each person to.