ILLINOIS FOOD HANDLER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act (410 ILCS § 625/)

As of January 1, 2015, Public Health Inspectors began enforcing the Illinois Regulation Enforcement Act which requires Food Handler training in Illinois. The Act requires any restaurant employee that prepares, stores, or serves food, handles food equipment, food utensils, or food-contact surfaces must have an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited Food Handler certificate within 30 days of hire.

The requirement pertains to most restaurant jobs, including the following:

• Servers
• Bartenders
• Head Chefs and Chefs
• Head Cooks and Cooks
• Bussers and Dishwashers
• Hosts And Hostesses who handle food
• Supervisors, such as the General Manager or Managers

Note: Persons who already have a City of Chicago or State of Illinois Food Service Sanitation Manager Certificate do not need a Food Handler certificate.

• An employee must be certified within 30 days of employment.
• The certificate is valid for three years from the date of completion.
• Proof of training must be provided during health inspections.

Online Training (24 hours a day/7 days a week)

ServSafe:  http://www.servsafe.com/ss/catalog/productlist.aspx?SCID=94&RCID=21

• Select “ServSafe Food Handler Online Course & Assessment” ($15.00) (Approx. 2-hour course)

SafeWay Certifications:  http://www.safewayclasses.com/

• Select “Food Handler Course”, then ANSI Food Handler Course – State of Illinois – Statewide ($10.00) (Approx. 2-hour course)

Upon successful completion of an ANSI-accredited food safety training course, the Food Handler Certificate will be immediately available to print.

This above is provided as general information and is not intended, nor should it be considered, to be legal advice.