Official Texas Food Handler Certificate (2024)

If you work in the food service industry, you may already be familiar with the term “Food HandlersCard”

How to get a Food Handlers Card

A food handlers card, also referred to as a certificate, license , or permit, is the documentation youget afterpassing a food handlers course. This card shows your manager and the local health department, that youknow what itmeans to serve food safely to the public.

Most food handler cards are valid for 2 to 3 years, depending on the state you live in.

Follow these steps to earn your Food Handlers Card

Is a Food Handlers Card required?

Many states require anyone serving food to the public to have a valid food handlers card. Check out ourpost to seewhich states requires a Food handlers card.

Do I Need An Official Food Handlers Card? 6 Helpful Questions & Answers

This is a pretty common question with few answers on the web, so we are here to help. To begin, let’sclarify whata Food Handlers card is: A Food Handlers card (also known as a Food Handlers Permit, Licence,Certificate, orCertification) is the result of a food safety training program that teaches you the basics of foodsafety, testsyour knowledge, and gives you a certificate of completion upon passing.

There are many jobs that require a Food Handlers Card but there tends to be little direction on what,why, and howyou should go about obtaining one. We know that it can feel time-consuming and expensive, but we want tohelp youunderstand the value of the investment beyond the reason you need it. Here is what we will cover:

• Who needs a foodhandlerscard?
• Why do I need afood handlerscard?
• Is a food handlerscardrequired?
• How long does ittake to get afoodhandlers card?
• How much is a foodhandlerscard?
• Is a ServSafe thesame as afoodhandlers card?

How important is food safety training for your restaurant?

The United States has the safest food supply in the world because we are aware of foodsafety.

However, 48 million people still get sick each year from eating food. That means 1.5 people get sickfrom foodborneillnesses every minute in the US.

Safe Food Handling Top 10

1. When you are sick, don’t work with food:
   Wait 24hoursfromthe last symptom beforereturning to work
2. When in doubt, wash your hands:
   Scrub hands withsoap foraminimum 10-15 seconds
3. Don’t touch ready to eat foods with your barehands:
   Usetongs or scoops, or wear gloves
4. Always hold foods at a safe holdingtemperature:
   Keep HotFood at 135°F or higher andCold food at 41°F or lower
5. Cook foods to proper temperatures beforeserving:
   Chicken165°F, Ground Meat 155 °F, androasts and Fish 145 °F
6. Cool hot food as quickly as possible to 41 DegreesF:
   Coolfood from 135°F to 70°F intwo hours or less and from 70°F to 41°F in 4 hours or less
7. Keep raw meat away from other foods:
   Prepare rawmeatwithseparate equipment andutensils then those used to prepare ready-to-eat foods.
8. Wash – Rinse – Sanitize – Air Dry:
   Wash dishesusingthese4 steps in order
9. Keep food prep area and utensils clean andsanitized:
   Cutting boards, counters,utensils, or any items that have been touched by raw food.
10. Always ask your person in charge of any questions you have on foodsafety.

Foodborne Illnesses: 5 Tips on how they happen & how to prevent them

Living in 2019 means that we are learning more and more every day and technological advances likepasteurization have almost eliminated certain foodborne illnesses. However, there are still a few movingpieces thatmake some of the statistics difficult to track. Some of these are because foodborne illness can also bepassed fromwater and person to person thus leaving a rather large gray area around their initial origin.

Hands-on Handwashing

To properly wash your hands, you must:

1. Get your hands wet with clean water
2. Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds (singing Happy Birthday in yourheadhelps!)
3. Rinse your hands with clean water
4. Dry hands thoroughly with a clean towel

It seems simple enough, right?

Next time you use the restroom, prepare food, touch your face, etc., do us all a favor, and be that 1person in 20to wash your hands correctly. In fact, tell your friends and family so we can make that 5%, 100% sogerms can’tspread. That way everyone stays healthy, safe, and happy, including you.

4 Quick Tips On Getting A Great Restaurant Job

Restaurants arealways looking to recruit fresh blood to the dark side, but there are a few things you’ll have toprepare to really persuade a hiring manager that you have enough of a backbone to handle the work.

Be sure you are prepared before your restaurant job interview. Knowing a few questions they might askand preparingahead of time is a plus. Having strong questions to ask them after they are done interviewing you iseven better.How you present yourself is everything so pay attention to these tips and you’ll get a job quicker thanyou canfigure out how to say Worcester.

50 Interesting Food Industry Jobs

There are so many careers in the food industry that people either forget about or are unaware of. Haveyou everthought about who plans the meals for the intercontinental flights you are on? Or who works on therecipes that makeup Clif Bars? We have put together a list of themostinteresting food & beverage jobs that we could find to showyou how many other options there really are. And yes, all of these positions likely require a Food Handler, FoodManager, or AlcoholServer Card,so you are on your way there!

4 Ways Restaurant Industry Certificates Advance Your Career

Employers want to see that you are committed and serious about the role that you are applying for. Evenif you don’thave the 4 years of experience they wrote about in their job post, there are likely other ways that youcan provethat you are a team player who is interested in advancing your career in the restaurant industry.

A few ways to do that are by making sure you are prepared for the interview. Arrive with an updatedresume ready toanswer your interview questions with gumption and authority. Remember, if there are other candidates inthe runningas well, you need to make sure you stand out above the rest. We have heard from many of our clients thatcandidateswho have valid certificates prior to applying for a job are more likely to get the job than thosewithout. Why isthat? Here are 4 reasons why having a valid certificate makes you look more appealing to your futureemployer in therestaurant industry.

Level Up Your Food Service Job

In 2019, the National RestaurantAssociationreported one of the top challenges in the restaurant industry wasstaffing, as restaurant business owners must constantly recruit and retain high-quality employees. Thatgives moreopportunity to current employees, who already know the inner workings of the industry and who want tomove up.

Whatever type of food service job you’re currently working, there are stimulating and challenginghospitalitycareers that may be the perfect next step to turn a job into a career. Here are five of the best foodservice jobsyou can work toward from an entry-level position.

Destress: 4 Easy Self-Care Tools To Cope With A Long Work Day

Although, it’s definitely not the first thing that comes to mind for most of us. Eating comfort food,venting, orbeing irritable is more likely. Sadly, we can all agree those are not healthy ways of coping withstress.

Working in the food and beverage industry can be cutthroat, to say the least. We have all seen Hell’sKitchen. Itgets heated! No pun intended… maybe a little. So self-care is a must.

No matter, we work in the industry alongside you, as an ally. Knowing that a stressful day or even justa busy dayat the restaurant can be draining, we have created a list of ways to destress that everyone should try.

Free Downloadable Resources for Food Handlers