If you’re a food worker in the state of Alabama, you’ve probably heard of something called the Alabama food handlers card, also known as the Alabama food handlers certification.
For those new to the industry, the Alabama food handlers card is a certification given to someone once they successfully complete a food safety course. The card proves employers and health inspectors that you have a basic understanding of food safety procedures… and therefore, are qualified to handle unpackaged food products inside the kitchen.
Pretty simple, right?
Not exactly.
Although the Alabama food handlers card is a simple concept, the process of obtaining one isn’t … and it can actually be quite the headache.
If there is any information online about the Alabama food handlers card, it’s pretty tough to find. After a simple google search of “Alabama food handlers card,” you’re met with deceiving online food safety courses, old government websites, and as always, a bunch of advertisements.
Because of this, we got our a hands a little dirty… and did the digging for you.
Here you’ll find all the important, accurate, and updated information on all things Alabama food handlers card. This includes state and county requirements, common restrictions, helpful links, tips, and other resources.
Apron up. Let’s get to it, folks. 👍
Alabama Food Handlers Card Requirements
The state of Alabama does NOT require common food workers at a restaurant to receive a food handlers card. Although some states across the nation do indeed have this requirement, Alabama’s food safety regulations are not nearly as strict.
Note: If you work in Jefferson or Mobile county, you MUST obtain a food handlers card due to COUNTY regulations. More details on county specifics are below :).
The only food handlers requirement the STATE of Alabama enforces is primarily for food-facility supervisors and/or managers.
If you have a restaurant supervisory role in the state of Alabama, you’ll most likely be REQUIRED to obtain a state-approved Food Managers course. Keep in mind, this is completely different from a food handlers card.
According to Alabama state law, and just about every other US state, at least one person with a Food Managers certification MUST be present, at the registered food establishment, at all times.
Some counties have different names for this (i.e. Food Protection Card, Food Managers Certification, etc.). Also, your local county will be responsible for Food Manager regulations. Food Manager courses, training, and costs will vary depending on which county you located in… or which course provider you choose.
To sum it all up, the only people Alabama REQUIRES to receive any sort of food safety raining are kitchen/restaurant managers and supervisors.
This state-wide law ensures that every food-facility in the state of Alabama has a supervisor and/or manager that is qualified in food safety practices… has an advanced knowledge of food handling procedures… and can generally guide other restaurant employees to follow suit.
Keep in mind, just because the state of Alabama does NOT require everyone typical food workers to receive a food handlers card, it doesn’t mean you’re completely off the hook. Some owners and kitchen managers may still ask for their food-related employees to obtain an Alabama food handlers card.
Alabama Food Handlers Requirements Summary
That was a lot. So to recap, here are the main Alabama food handlers card requirements.
- The state of Alabama does NOT require typical kitchen employees (line cooks, food preps, bussers, servers, etc.) to receive an Alabama food handlers card.
- If you’re employed as a food worker in Jefferson or Mobile county, you will have to take a food handlers card course, due to county laws. (See details below)
- Nearly all supervisory positions (head chefs, kitchen/restaurant managers) in Alabama will have to obtain a state-approve Food Managers card
- Someone with a Food Managers certification MUST be present, at the facility, at all times.
- Restaurant managers and/or owners may still require food workers to receive food safety training despite state law.
Alabama County-Specific Food Handler Requirements
Apart from state laws and regulations, counties have the right to pose their own. In Alabama, there’s only two counties that enforces their own food handler laws, that are different from the rest of the state.
Those two counties are Jefferson county and Mobile county. If you are a food-related employee working for a food-facility inside these jurisdictions, you MUST receive food handlers training.
Let’s dive in. 👇👇
Jefferson County Food Handlers Card Requirements
All food workers in Jefferson county, Alabama are REQUIRED to obtain a food handlers card. This means you must successfully pass a county-approved food safety course. Once you complete the course you will be granted an official Jefferson county food handlers card.
New employees must be certified within 21 days of their hire date.
Jefferson county provides courses both offline and online. But since most folks choose the online route, we’ll be breaking down that process below. If you choose to take the course in-person, in a classroom environment, just click here for more details.
All Jefferson county food handler cards expire after 2 years!
Course Details
The only county-approved ONLINE food handlers card course provider in Jefferson county is StateFoodSafety. All other food handler cards, even if you successfully passed the course, are NOT valid.
This means you must take the course from StateFoodSafety ONLY.
To safely access the StateFoodSafety online portal just CLICK HERE.
The Jefferson food safety training and exam are both accessible through the county’s online portal. Everything you need that relates to your Jefferson county food handlers card will be found there. The very first thing you’ll need to do is purchase and create an account.
The training and test altogether cost a one-time payment of $20. Keep in mind, debit and credit card payments are accepted only.
The food handler course/training is then followed by a examination.
Jefferson county food employees are required to make AT LEAST a 70% on the exam in order to successfully earn the food handlers card. But, everything provided on the training portal should be more than enough to make things easy.
Are you nervous yet? …Well, you shouldn’t be! A person who fails the exam – those who get less than a 70% – may retake the exam once more within seven (7) days of the initial testing date, at no additional cost.
If you fail after the 2nd attempt, you will have to repurchase the training and take the quiz again.
We just covered a lot. So to summarize the Jefferson county food handlers training, we provided a helpful list below:
- The course is available online
- This course is 100% county-approved. (It’s the ONLY course you should be taking as a food handler in the county of Jefferson, AL)
- $20 one-time purchase for the both course and quiz
- 2 test attempts
- 70% to pass
- The Jefferson food handlers card expires after 2 years
- After completion, you can access the training portal anytime before your food handlers card expires
Mobile County Food Handlers Card Requirements
Just like Jefferson county, all food workers in Mobile county are REQUIRED to get a food handlers card. This means you must successfully pass a county-approved food safety course. Once you complete the course you will be granted the official Mobile county food handlers card.
The Health Department of Mobile County (HDMC) is the local governing body that regulates food safety laws in the county. For all details and further information, you can always visit their homepage… or check our their most recent food handler press releases (2015) (2005)
When does a Mobile food handlers card expire?
All Mobile county food handler cards expire 1 year after the date of issuance. To renew your Mobile county food handlers card, you will have to retake the course, pay the fee, and pass the examination all over again.
The only county-approved ONLINE food handlers card course provider in Mobile county is StateFoodSafety. All other food handler cards, even if you successfully passed the course, are NOT valid.
This means you must take the course from StateFoodSafety ONLY.
To safely access the StateFoodSafety online portal just CLICK HERE.
Course Details:
The Mobile county food safety training and exam are both accessible through the county’s online portal. Everything you need relating to your Mobile county food handlers card will be found there. The very first thing you’ll need to do is create an account and purchase!
The training and test altogether cost a one-time payment of $23.
The food handler course/training is then followed by an examination.
Mobile county food employees have to make AT LEAST a 70% on the exam in order to successfully earn the food handlers card. But, everything provided on the training portal should be more than enough to make things easy. Also, please be sure to check out the study guide and resources we’ve provided below!
Are you nervous yet? …Well, you shouldn’t be! A person who fails the exam – those who get a 69% or less – may retake the exam once more within seven (7) days of the initial testing date, at no additional cost.
If you fail the second attempt, you will have to repurchase the training and take the quiz again.
We just covered a lot. So to summarize the Mobile county food handlers training, we provided a helpful list below:
- The course is available online
- This course is 100% county-approved. (It’s the ONLY course you should be taking as a food handler in Mobile county)
- $23 one-time purchase for the both course and quiz
- 2 test attempts
- 70% to pass
- The Mobile county food handlers card expires after 1 year
- After completion, you can access the training portal anytime before your food handlers card expires
Steps to get a Alabama Food Handlers Card
- Visit the Jefferson or Mobile county StateFoodSafety online training portal
- Purchase the course and training (one-time purchase of $20 for Jefferson county food workers… $23 for Mobile county food workers)
- Follow the course steps successfully complete training (TIP: Since it’s an online course, we suggest you take notes along the way!)
- Take the quiz
- Print out your county-approved food handlers card at home (TIP: print multiple copies of your certification or save the file to your desktop at home. This is just a safety measure, just in case you lose you original copy)
- Provide your employer with a copy of your certificate
We hope this helps! If you have any other questions on all things food handlers card — just hit us up in the comments below.
Cheers!