This course makes earning your national food handler card straightforward, so you can get trained and get to work. It covers the essentials of food safety, from preventing foodborne illness to the proper procedures for handling, storing, and preparing food, and it ends in an ANAB-accredited certificate you can download the moment you pass. It is interactive, mobile-friendly, and available in English and Spanish.
What you'll learn
Eight lessons cover the full food safety picture:
Introduction to food safety: its goals, benefits, and impact
Biohazards, foodborne illness, and food spoilage: symptoms, causes, and the signs of spoilage
Contamination: the three types, how food becomes hazardous, and how to preserve it
Food and temperature control: taking and holding safe temperatures, the tools to measure them, and food allergy awareness
Employee health, hygiene, and training: personal hygiene and safe food-handling practices
Purchasing, receiving, and storing food: safe acquisition, special handling for meat and poultry, and proper storage
Cleaning and sanitizing: correct procedures and the consequences of getting them wrong
Pest control: recognizing and eliminating infestations
Format and exam
The course is online and self-paced and takes about two hours. You need to spend at least 90 minutes in the course before the final exam unlocks. The exam is 45 questions, you pass at 80 percent, and you get two attempts. If you do not pass on the second try, you retake the course before testing again. Your access runs for 60 days from enrollment.
Credential
The certificate is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and conducted in accordance with ASTM International E2659-24 standards. It is valid for three years, and your wallet card and certificate are available to download and print the moment you pass.
Important note on state requirements
Check your local rules before you rely on the card. In some states the certificate of completion is not your actual food handler license, so confirm with your employer and local health department. This course is not recognized in Washington State, Oregon, or Clark County and the Southern Nevada Health District, though it is useful preparation for the SNHD test and is valid in other parts of Nevada. If you are in Utah, Florida, Ohio, or San Diego County, look for the dedicated food handler courses built for those requirements.
Common questions
How long is the certificate valid? The ANAB-accredited certificate is valid for three years, though some states and localities set their own renewal rules, so it is worth checking locally.
What score do I need to pass? The final exam is 45 questions and you need at least 80 percent, with two attempts allowed.
Why can't I access the final exam yet? You need to finish every lesson and any required quizzes and spend at least 90 minutes in the course before the exam unlocks.
Is the card the same as a health department license? Not always. In some places it is proof of completion rather than the official license, so confirm with your employer and local health department.