California Food Handler Safety Topic

An overview of the California food handler card law SB 602 requiring food service industry workers to receive food safety training.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the California Food Handler Card bill into law on Sept. 25. The California Food Handler Card law is designed to ensure that restaurant employees receive a reasonable level of training in food safety practices to reduce the potential for foodborne illness.

Food handlers must have a California Food Handler Card on or before July 1, 2011. Employees hired after June 1, 2011 will have 30 days from the date of hire to acquire a food handler card.

To obtain a California Food Handler Card, food handlers will need to successfully pass a food handler test with a minimum score of 70 percent. The course and test may be online or through a trainer-led program. Food handlers must maintain a valid food handler card for the duration of his or her employment.

The cards are valid throughout most of the state and are valid for three years from issuance. Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties have pre-existing food handler card programs and…