Food Worker Training

Food establishments in Champaign County may require or want to hire staff members that have training in food safety. Individuals interested in obtaining food worker training because it is required by their employer, to help their employment prospects, or for other reasons, should review the options below.

Please note that the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District/Champaign County Public Health Department does not offer food safety classes.

Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM)

Do you want to be a certified food protection manager in Illinois? Take the following steps:

Step 1: Take a CFPM course and pass an exam.

To obtain a CFPM, you must take an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited training course and pass an ANSI-accredited exam with a score of 75% or higher. CFPM certificates are valid for five years. The agencies listed below offer CFPM courses in the Champaign County area. Courses are offered in classroom or online and are approximately eight hours in length including time for the exam. Some offer training options in Spanish or other languages. Contact them for locations, pricing and other details.

This list is provided for information and does not constitute endorsements of the agencies.

Hoosier Hospitality Consulting, LLC Phone: 317-447-4761
Illini Training (online only) Phone: 217-398-0103
Katkin (online only) Phone: 844-768-8433
Learn 2 Serve (online only) Phone: 888-360-8764
Parkland College (classroom only) Phone: 217-351-2235
Safe Food Handlers Corp. Phone: 888-793-5136
ServSafe / National Restaurant Association Phone: 888-765-2122

Step 2: Receive a national certificate.

After you have taken a CFPM course and successfully passed an exam, you will receive a national certificate (ServSafe, etc.). NOTE: You no longer need to apply for an extra certificate from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Allergen Awareness Training (for CFPMs at Category 1 Restaurants)

Anyone working in a Category 1¹ restaurants² with a CFPM certificate must also obtain additional training in allergen awareness from an ANSI-accredited provider within 30 days of employment and every three years thereafter. Allergen awareness training may be offered by the trainers listed above. Contact them for information.

Step 3: Make sure you have a copy of your CFPM certificate available to show during an inspection.

Food Handler Certificate (FHC)

All food handlers in food establishments are required to obtain a Food Handler Certificate (FHC). A food handler is defined as an "individual working with unpackaged food, food equipment or utensils, or food-contact surfaces." To obtain a FHC, you must take an ANSI-accredited training course and pass an ANSI-accredited exam with a score of 75% or higher. Most FHC classes are available at $15 or less and the training and exam can usually be completed within 90 minutes. Food Handler Certificates are valid for three years. The certificates are issued by the agency that teaches your class. Some of the agencies listed in the CFPM section also teach the FHC course. Contact them for information.

Make sure you have a copy of your FHC available to show during an inspection.

A food handler certificate is not required for a food worker who has a valid CFPM, or for unpaid volunteers at annually permitted food establishments (whether permanent or short-term volunteers).

Training for Temporary Food Events (Fairs, Concerts, etc.)

The person in charge at a food or drink booth/trailer will need to either provide proof of CFPM or FHC (see above for both types), or they will need to take our free food safety training. For more details about the application process and free training, see our Temporary Food Events page. Note: This training is for temporary food events only, not for annually permitted establishments.

Lost Certificates / Change of Address

If you have misplaced your certificate and need a replacement copy, or if you’d like to report a change of address, please contact the agency that provided your training.

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, the Champaign County Public Health Department, and the Illinois Department of Public Health do not issue certificates. Questions about certificates should be directed to the agency that provided your training.

1. Category 1
"Category I" means a food establishment that presents a high relative risk of causing food-borne illness, based on the large number of food handling operations typically implicated in food-borne outbreaks and/or the type of population served by the facility. Category I facilities include those where the following operations occur:
- Potentially hazardous^* foods are cooled, as part of the food handling operation at the facility.
- Potentially hazardous^* foods are prepared hot or cold and held hot or cold for more than 12 hours before serving.
- Potentially hazardous^* cooked and cooled foods must be reheated.
- Complex preparation of foods or extensive handling of raw ingredients with hand contact for ready-to-eat foods occurs as part of the food handling operations at the facility.
- Vacuum packaging, other forms of reduced oxygen packaging, or other special processes that require a HACCP plan; or
- Immunocompromised individuals such as the elderly, young children under age four and pregnant women are serves, where these individuals compose the majority of the consuming population.
* Potentially hazardous foods are now referred to as time-temperature control for safety (or TCS) foods.
2. Restaurants

A "restaurant" means any business that is primarily engaged in the sale of ready-to-eat food for immediate consumption. "Primarily engaged" means having sales of ready-to-eat food for immediate consumption comprising of at least 51% of the total sales, excluding the sales of liquor.