Under the FDA Food Code, the person in charge of a food establishment, whoever is running the shift, is supposed to be a certified food protection manager: someone who has passed an exam in an accredited certification program. That's different from a food handler card, the shorter training for every worker. A regulatory authority can except minimal-risk operations, such as those selling only prepackaged food. The 2026 Food Code adds food defense, keeping food from being deliberately tampered with, to what the person in charge has to know. How your state applies it varies, so check with your health department. In the example below, a Texas taco truck makes sure every shift has one.
The short version
- The person in charge should be a certified food protection manager.
- Certified means passing an exam in an accredited program.
- Different from a food handler card for every worker.
- Minimal-risk operations may be excepted.
- The 2026 Food Code adds food defense to what managers know.
- Your state decides how many certified managers, and when.
- TaroStack keeps each batch with its lot and dates. More below.
Manager or handler
| Certified food protection manager | Food handler card | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | The person in charge | Food employees |
| How | An exam in an accredited certification program | A shorter training course |
| Covers | Food safety management, including food defense in 2026 | Basic hygiene and food safety |
| Required by | The Food Code, as your state adopts it | Some states and cities |
Worker cards in Texas are in texas food handler card, and the truck's permits in food truck license.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| The person in charge | Shall be a certified food protection manager who passed a test in an accredited program (Food Code 2026, 2-102.12(A)) |
| Exceptions | Establishments the regulatory authority deems minimal risk, based on the operation and the food preparation (2-102.12(B)) |
| Accepted programs | Certification by a program listed by a Conference for Food Protection-recognized accrediting agency complies (2-102.20) |
| Food defense | Added to the person in charge's knowledge and to employee training in 2026 (2-102.11(C)(18), 2-103.11(R)) |
| Adoption | Applies as your state or locality has adopted it (FDA, Food Code adoption) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: every shift covered
La Esquina Taco Truck, the made-up taco truck in San Antonio, Texas, I use in these examples, had an inspection on a day the owner was off and the shift lead wasn't certified. Its schedule now:
| Shift | Person in charge | Certified? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday lunch | Owner | Yes | Certificate in the truck |
| Brewery nights | Shift lead | Yes, as of last month | Took an accredited exam after the inspection |
| Saturday events | Owner or shift lead | Yes | One of the two on every event |
| Prep at the commissary | Owner | Yes | The prep cook works alongside, with a food handler card |
The inspector noted that no certified manager was in charge that day; the shift lead passed an accredited exam within the month, and the schedule never has a shift without one of the two. The truck's year is in taco truck business plan.
Get the checker
Download the person in charge schedule. One sheet: each shift, the person in charge, whether they're a certified food protection manager, and their certificate's expiry date; whether the shift is covered fills in. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The schedule covers who's in charge. What the certified manager actually checks, the cooling, the holding, the dates, lives in the records behind them.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each prep batch with its lot and dates, so what was made when, and what was thrown out, is on record.
Batches with dates. Each batch of prep is a lot with its production date and its use-by date.
An alert before a date. An alert comes before a lot's date runs out, so it's used or marked down instead of found too late.
Waste with a reason. What's thrown out is recorded with its reason, expired or spoiled, by item, so the item that keeps going to waste shows up.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| What was made when | Tape on the container | Lots with dates |
| Food nearing its date | Found on the shelf | An alert before the date |
| What went to waste | Not counted | Waste by reason |
Lots, dates, alerts and waste by reason are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.