CERTIFIED FOOD HANDLER COURSE DESCRIPTION

Examinations
This program was developed from the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) guild lines and FDA Food Code. It is fully compliant with the 2001 Supplementary Food Code requirements. It is approved as a course of study for all CFP recognized examinations that currently include; ServSafe, National Registry and Prometrics. Further, this course has been the subject of studies conducted by two major universities where Experior Assessments and ServSafe examinations were given. Combined these studies achieved an average first time examination pass rate of 97.3%.

Program Overview
This program is designed to self-teach both food safety managers certification and food workers. The certification training is a comprehensive course designed to teach all the knowledge need to pass any of the nationally recognized food safety manager's certification examinations. The program is offered in both English and Spanish. All content can be fully narrated in either language allowing persons with limited reading skills to obtain the knowledge. All results are tracked and available to be reported either digitally or as hardcopy printouts.

Lesson One: The Need for Food Safety Training / The Need for Food Safety Training and Certification
This lesson covers factors that affect food safety in foodservice operations, and explains the reasons why illnesses caused by contaminated foods are on the rise. Students are also taught about the steps needed to obtain a certification credential, and the role of the government in the food industry.
� Assessment questions -

Lesson Two: Foodborne Illness: an Overview
� In this lesson, the student is taught what foodborne illness is and shown its different categories. The different points in the foodservice process where contamination can occur, and two techniques on how to combat it, are also discussed. Certification students are also shown some of the manager's responsibilities in overseeing a safe food operation, including how to report illness outbreaks to the local health department.

Lesson Three: Biological Food Contamination
� The student is taught how bacteria multiply, the six factors that determine bacterial growth rate, and how to define and identify potentially hazardous foods (PHFs).

Lesson Four: Foodborne Illnesses
� A continuation of Lesson Three, in this lesson the student is shown how bacteria can thrive under adverse circumstances, how foodborne viral infections occur, how parasites and fungi can contaminate food, and how cross contamination occurs. The certification student is shown the causes, likely food sources, symptoms, and incubation periods of several common foodborne illnesses. Food allergies, their symptoms and how to avoid allergic reactions are discussed

Lesson Five: Chemical and Physical Food Contamination
� This lesson deals with the common types of chemical food contamination, the dangers of contamination from pesticides and cleaning products, how toxic metals can get into food, and how physical contamination occurs. The certification student also learns about the risks of some food additives.

Lesson Six: Hygiene, Health, and Food Safety
� In this lesson, the student is shown the importance of following basic hygiene practices and becoming more health-conscious. Areas discussed are: personal hygiene habits, proper procedures for hand washing, and how to prevent cuts and burns. Certification students are also taught how to recognize symptoms of illness and how to prepare for accidents and emergencies.

Lesson Seven: Purchasing and Receiving Foods
� This lesson covers how to minimize the chances of food contamination in the purchasing and receiving process. Subjects include: how to check meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, fruits, vegetables, frozen foods and can goods for safety, and how to identify safe shipments of processed foods. The certification student is also trained on the differences between the bimetallic and digital thermometers, and criteria for selecting suppliers.

Lesson Eight: Storing Food and Supplies
� This lesson prepares the student in safe storage. The student is instructed on the most important elements of storage, and on acceptable ways to store refrigerated and frozen foods. The certification student is also taught to identify areas that are not acceptable for food storage, and how to store chemicals properly.

Lesson Nine: Preparing, Cooking, and Serving Food
� Here, the student is shown how to prevent contamination during preparation, cooking, and serving. They are taught safe procedures in preparation, specific time and temperature requirements for cooking various foods, how to store and use leftovers, and procedures for serving food. Certification students also cover additional requirements for customer self-serve and catering operations.

Lesson Ten: Equipment and Utensils
� This lesson teaches the certification student about the need to have the right equipment and utensils for their operation, and also the need to use them correctly. Subjects include: the three basic food safety requirements for all foodservice equipment, the required attributes and procedures for refrigerators and freezers, the proper location for foodservice equipment, and proper utensil storage.

Lesson Eleven: Cleaning and Sanitizing
� This lesson tells of the importance of cleanliness and sanitation in protecting people from food contamination. Trainees are instructed in the differences between cleaning and sanitizing, the types of products available, and how to properly care for wiping supplies. The certification student also learns about how to check the strengths of cleaning and sanitizing solutions, the basic rules for manual sanitation and sanitation by machine, and how to identify the frequency with which various items should be cleaned and sanitized.

Lesson Twelve: Pest Control
� The student is shown the primary pests that infest foodservice facilities, how to identify common rodent and cockroach pests, and how to recognize the sign of infestation. Certificate students are also taught the primary methods for combating these infestations.

Lesson Thirteen: Facilities
� The certification student is taught how a well-designed facility facilitates food safety. Topics include requirements for floors, walls, and ceilings; the importance of good lighting and how to achieve it; the proper uses of potable and non-potable water; and details of plumbing and sewage requirements. How to do a self-inspection.

Lesson Fourteen: The HACCP System and Training
� The certification student is introduced to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system. The trainee is taught the seven steps in the HACCP system and the benefits of ongoing food safety training.

Lesson Fifteen: Sample Examination
� The certification student is given a 50-question sample examination. Questions are similar to those used in an actual exam and are present in the same manner as the proctored certification examination given by the testing centers. After taking the sample examination the student is given his or her score and allowed to link directly back to any area for further study. The examination is offered in either English or Spanish and can be fully narrated if needed.

We have supplemental study materials in Chinese. For Chinese textbook please email us.

Chinese Edition text book cover page