Manager Certification vs. Food Handler Card

These are two different things and the confusion causes real fines.

• Food handler card / certificate: 1-3 hour course, low cost, almost every employee needs one. Not a management credential.

• Food protection manager certification: the ANSI-accredited exam (ServSafe Manager and peers). Usually one certified manager per shift, per facility, depending on your state.

• Some states (California, Texas, Illinois among them) require the manager credential statewide; others leave it to the county.

If you are being told you need “the ServSafe thing” for a promotion, ask for the exact credential name in writing — you may be buying the wrong exam.

What each credential is actually tested on, domain by domain: FoodSafe Prep.