Fullerton, CA – Beginning January 1, 2012, health departments will begin enforcing the new California Food Handler Card Law, which requires food handlers to successfully complete a training course and assessment. According to the updated California Food Handler Card Law Guidelines provided by the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health (CCDEH), the CCDEH and the stakeholder group in charge of providing guidance for the implementation of the new law, had recommended that enforcement of the law be limited to education and notification of requirements during this transition period until January 1, 2012. Food handlers, unless exempt, must obtain a food handler card from an ANSI ASTM E2659 accredited provider in order for the card to be valid.
According to the updated CCDEH Guidelines, food service business employers such as restaurants must maintain records documenting that each food handler has a valid food handler card and provide these records to the local health inspectors upon request. Failure to maintain records that all food handlers meet the requirements would constitute a violation of the California Retail Food Law, which may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor. Food handlers must obtain a valid food handler card from an approved training provider within 30 days after their new hire date, and the card is valid for 3 years from the date of issuance. Food handlers in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego are exempt as these counties have pre-existing food handler training requirements.
This law was updated based on SB 303 and officially signed into legislation by Governor Brown in September 2011. Premier Food Safety, a member of the original task force committee, was actively involved in getting the updated law to be more clearly written for the scope of the intended target audience, the food handler.
“Premier provides an exceptional training experience for food handlers as they complete our accredited training program to obtain their food handler cards, based on the feedback we've received. Our easy-to-use online training platform coupled with our responsive customer service support team provide food handlers access to a solution that is simple and effective,” said Dirk Yoo, Director of Product Development for Premier Food Safety.
The California Food Handler Card online training is based on an interactive and educational program offered in English, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese for as low as $10 per person. For more information on training programs, please watch the California Food Handler Card video or visit the Premier Food Safety website.
About Premier Food Safety:
Premier Food Safety is the leading provider of food safety certification training with over 35 years of experience. Premier has successfully trained over 150,000 food managers and food handlers for small businesses and large corporations across the United States, and offers training in up to 4 different languages. For more information, visit http://www.premierfoodsafety.com or call 714-451-0075.
Source: Premier Food Safety