A food manager certification is the manager-level food safety credential: you pass an exam from a program that an accrediting body recognized by the Conference for Food Protection has listed, and some states, Minnesota among them, ask for a training course too. It's a step above a food handler card. Whether your business needs one, and when that person has to be there, is up to your state. The FDA Food Code, which states adopt in their own versions, says in its 2022 edition that the person in charge is a certified food protection manager, and that a person in charge is present during all hours of operation, except at places the health department deems minimal risk. States read that differently. Texas asks for a certified manager on site whenever you're open. Minnesota asks each establishment to employ one, with 60 days to replace one who leaves, and certificates renewed with continuing education. The difference matters most to places open long hours with a small team. In the example below, a Texas kolache shop finds the shifts it can't cover.
The short version
- A food manager certification means passing an exam from an accredited program.
- It's a step above a food handler card.
- The 2022 Food Code: the person in charge is a certified manager, and someone's in charge whenever you're open.
- Texas: a certified manager on site during all hours of operation, unless exempt.
- Minnesota: employ one for each establishment; replace within 60 days; a 3-year certificate, renewed with 4 hours of training.
- Low-risk places, such as prepackaged-only shops, are often exempt.
- TaroStack doesn't track certificates; it keeps the production records an inspector reads alongside them. More below.
Manager or handler
| Food manager certification | Food handler card | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | The person in charge, or the person your state names | Food employees |
| How | An exam from an accredited program | A shorter course, where required |
| When on site | Depends on the state: all hours, or employed | Whoever's working |
The handler card, state by state, starts at food handlers permit, and the two states here in full in Texas food handler card and Minnesota food handlers card.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Person in charge | Present during all hours of operation, unless the establishment is deemed minimal risk (Food Code 2022, 2-101.11) |
| Certified manager | The person in charge is a certified food protection manager who passed a test in an accredited program; not for minimal-risk places (2-102.12) |
| Which certificates count | A program evaluated and listed by a Conference for Food Protection-recognized accrediting agency (2-102.20) |
| Texas | A certified manager present during all hours of operation; exemptions include prepackaged-only places and temporary establishments; the original certificate posted (25 TAC 228.31) |
| Minnesota | Employ a certified manager for each establishment, with exemptions; a new one within 60 days; certificate displayed and valid 3 years; 4 hours of continuing education to renew (Minn. R. 4626.0033) |
States adopt different editions of the Food Code, so check which one yours uses. This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: a kolache shop's Sunday gap
Blanco River Kolache, the made-up kolache shop in Wimberley, Texas, I use in these examples, opens 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, 63 hours a week. The owner and the shift lead hold manager certificates; the morning baker has a food handler card:
| Day | 5:00 to 9:30 | 9:30 to 2:00 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Wednesday, Friday | Owner | Shift lead |
| Thursday | Shift lead | Owner |
| Saturday | Shift lead | Shift lead |
| Sunday | Morning baker | Morning baker |
Texas wants a certified manager on site all 63 hours, and Sunday's 9 hours have none. A food handler card doesn't count. The owner covers Sunday mornings for now, and the morning baker is booked to take an accredited manager exam, which will cover the rest of Sunday. The roster turned up a second date: the shift lead's certificate expires December 1, inside 60 days, so the renewal exam went on the calendar too. Under Minnesota's rule, the same shop would only need to employ one certified manager.
Get the planner
Download the manager coverage planner. Two sheets: coverage, each shift with the person in charge, whether they hold a current manager certificate, the gaps shaded and the hours with no certified manager added up; and the certificates, with each person's program, the date certified and the expiry date, and a status against today. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The planner covers who's certified and when. The inspector who checks the certificate on the wall also asks how the kolache filling was cooled and which batch is on the counter, and those answers live somewhere else.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack doesn't track food safety certificates. It keeps the production records an inspector reads alongside them.
Batch records with sign-off. Printable batch-record forms carry your own checklist fields and a sign-off, so a batch of sausage filling's cooling check, and who did it, is on the record.
People by role. Each person has a role, such as production, limited to the sites they work at.
Lots and expiry. Each batch gets a lot with its production and best-before dates, and first-expired-first-out is the default.
| The job | Clipboard | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Who signed off a batch | Initials on paper | A sign-off on the batch record |
| What a new baker can see | Everything on the shared login | A role limited to their work |
| Which filling to use first | Remembered | First-expired-first-out |
Lots, batches and recipes 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.