StateFoodSafety

What StateFoodSafety is

StateFoodSafety is an online food safety training and certification company. It sells the courses and exams that food service workers need to get a food handlers card, a food manager certification or an alcohol server permit, and it builds those courses around the specific rules of each state, county and city where they are accepted. The home page promises "Unmatched compliance and food safety leadership for over 20 years," and the About section describes "an online food safety education company dedicated to educating the public about food safety and helping ensure the health of communities nationwide." The footer copyright belongs to AboveTraining Inc.

It serves three groups the site names directly: "a food handler, food manager, alcohol server, member of a health department, or work for a foodservice company." Individual workers buy a course for their location. Employers buy in bulk and assign training. Health departments and other regulators partner with the company to offer approved training in their area.

The courses

The home page lists six course families:

• Food Handlers Card: "Learn essential food safety practices and get your approved food handlers card."
• Food Manager Certification & Training: "Learn advanced food safety principles and take the nationally accredited Food Protection Manager Certification Exam." For many states the menu offers training and exam together, training alone, or the exam alone.
• Allergens Essentials: "Learn about the 8 major food allergens and secure the safety of your customers."
• Alcohol Server Certification: "Learn essential alcohol service principles and get your approved alcohol server/seller certification."
• HACCP Courses: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points principles "with introductory or internationally accredited training."
• Sexual Harassment Prevention Training: "designed for food and beverage workers."

Built around local rules

The defining feature is the location menu. The food handler menu runs state by state, and inside many states county by county and city by city: Colorado, Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia each list dozens of counties, and there are separate entries for places such as New York City, Minneapolis, Kansas City and the City of Fort Worth. Puerto Rico appears in the food handler list and Guam in the food manager list. You pick the place where you work, and the course you get is the one that place accepts.

The Virginia page explains why this matters. "Certain counties and cities in Virginia have specific training requirements. That means a waiter in Norfolk might need different training than a line cook in Franklin." StateFoodSafety offers "county- and city-specific training programs, including ANAB-accredited courses wherever they're required," and names approvals from the Chesapeake Health Department and the City of Norfolk Department of Public Health. The FAQ adds that the Virginia Department of Health has 35 local health districts that often set their own requirements, so a card for Chesapeake County "might not be valid in Hanover County," while the City of Norfolk "may honor a food handlers card issued by another city or county." For Virginia alone the page lists twelve local programs, from Charles City County to Southampton County.

The commitment on the home page is "Government Approved": "Accepted by hundreds of regulatory agencies nationwide at the state, county, and city levels. StateFoodSafety does not offer training where it has not received approval to provide training."

What a food handler course is like

According to the Virginia page you "Watch easy-to-understand training videos, then pass a test at the end of the course." It says "most courses take under two hours to complete," that they have been "updated to meet the most current FDA guidelines outlined in the 2022 FDA Food Code," and that "Over 90% of people who take our courses pass the final exam!" The training prepares you to:

• recognize how food can cause illness or allergic reactions
• prevent contamination of food and food-contact surfaces with the hands and body
• identify which symptoms or illnesses must be reported to a manager
• use time and temperature control throughout the flow of food
• maintain a clean environment for food preparation and service

"After passing the test, you can immediately download your certificate and food handlers card." The home page says the food handler training "is available to retake until you are ready to take the test." Virginia cards are "valid for two or three years depending on your location," and if you change jobs you can pick your new place of employment in the county list and take the training it requires.

Languages are chosen after purchase. For Virginia the list is English, Spanish, Simplified Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, American Sign Language, Tagalog and Serbo-Croatian.

Food manager training and retakes

For the manager credential, the home page says StateFoodSafety "offers industry leading training and practice tests that prepare you to pass our nationally accredited Food Protection Manager Certification Exam." If you pass the training and practice test but fail the exam, "you can retake the training and practice test as many times as necessary." The company is careful about how it frames this: "This is not a 'Pass Guarantee,' but an indication of our confidence in our training."

For employers

Team buying runs through a Group Purchase System: "Use our Group Purchase System to buy and manage training for multiple employees at a discount!" The Virginia FAQ describes how it works: "Buy courses at a discount with our group purchase system, assign those courses as needed throughout the year and track all team training from one convenient place." Employees redeem a voucher code from their employer to start a prepaid course. Larger companies are pointed to Enterprise Solutions, which the site describes in terms of its approval network, integration technology and reporting tools, and the footer lists Industry Solutions and Certificate Verification.

For health departments

Regulatory Solutions invite agencies to team with StateFoodSafety "to advance food safety training in your area," with "customized training solutions" that "work well for both large and small regulatory agencies nation wide." A free resource library offers "training tips, posters, cartoons, and videos" for inspectors to use in the field.

Prices and support

The home page makes a "Best Price" promise: "We will match the price of any comparable training course. Must be matched prior to purchase." The pages here show no course prices. The footer links to a refund policy, policies and procedures, system requirements, course demos and an FAQ, and the site's contact details list a support phone line and email.

Who it suits

StateFoodSafety suits food service workers who need the specific card their county or city accepts and want to finish online in an afternoon, and employers who must keep a crew's cards current across locations with different rules. The eight-language Virginia course list, including American Sign Language, helps mixed workforces. Managers preparing for the Food Protection Manager exam get training, practice tests and unlimited retakes of both, and health departments can adopt it as their approved provider. Check the location menu first: if your jurisdiction is not listed, the company says it does not offer training there.