New York City Food Protection Course

Important: We do not offer Food Manager Training for food service professionals in New York City. If you work in New York City, please refer to this page, or contact the health department for more information.

State Regulations

 Supervisors of food service establishments and non-retail food service establishments must be certified in food protection by obtaining a certificate issued by the Department of Health upon successful completion of a food protection course and exam administered by the Department of Health.

Certification Exam

 Mandatory

Approved Certification Exams

 The examination administered by the Department of Health is the only approved exam.

Food Safety Training Requirement

Mandatory 15-hour training offered exclusively by the Health Department:

  • Online Training - $24.60
  • Classroom Training - $114

Certificate Renewal

 Not necessary

Additional Requirements

 Please contact your local health department.

FAQs

What training options are available?

The Department of Health offers two to complete the food protection course: classroom training or online training.

  • The Classroom training option is a 15-hour course beginning on Monday and ending on Friday with classes lasting 3 hours each day.
    To qualify for the Food Protection Certificate, you must pay the $114 fee, attend all 15 hours and pass the final exam given on the last day of the course.
    This is a multiple choice exam with 50 questions. The passing grade is 70%.
    For more information please visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/hany-food.shtml
  • The online course can be taken for free. It consists of 15 one-hour modules. To become certified, you must pass an in-class exam and pay a fee of $24.60. For more information, please visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/hany/food-protection-course-faq.pdf
Does the Food Protection Manager need to be present at the food facility at all times?

A person holding the food protection certificate must be on the premises and must supervise all food preparation activities during all hours of operation.