Food Manager Certification · $149
Food Manager certification online, exam ready the moment you are.
The ANAB-accredited Food Protection Manager credential health departments ask for — self-paced video training, then a remotely proctored exam you open the moment you're ready, 24/7. No appointment, and a free retake included.
- ANAB / ANSI-CFP accredited — ServSafe-equivalent
- Valid 5 years, recognized across the USA
- One free retake included
- Instant on-screen results, no appointment needed
- English or Spanish course, exam and proctor
What the Food Manager certification covers
The Food Protection Manager exam is built on the FDA Food Code and the Conference for Food Protection standard. Your training and exam cover time and temperature control, cross-contamination, personal hygiene, allergen management, cleaning and sanitizing, receiving and storage, HACCP principles, pest control, and facility requirements.
Most jurisdictions require at least one certified food protection manager per establishment — sometimes one per shift. If a health inspector has asked for a "Certified Food Protection Manager" or a "ServSafe-equivalent" certificate, this is the credential that satisfies it.
What's included at $149
- Self-paced video training (about 8 hours, pause and resume anytime)
- Chapter quizzes plus a full practice exam
- The ANAB-accredited certification exam
- One free retake if you don't pass the first time
- A remotely proctored exam you open the moment you're ready, 24/7
- Your certificate issued the same day you pass
How the remotely proctored exam works
When your training is done, you open your personal exam link — no appointment, no session to book, any hour of any day. The exam is remotely proctored: you verify your photo ID, do a short room scan, and test from your own computer. Exam time is typically 60–90 minutes. Your result appears on screen immediately, and once we approve the passing result your certificate is emailed the same day — no waiting for a mailed packet.
Who needs it
Restaurant managers and owners, kitchen managers and chefs, food truck operators, grocery and deli supervisors, school and healthcare food service leads, caterers, and anyone named as the person in charge on a health permit. Certifying several people at once? See group certification.
Exams are administered through Always Food Safe, an ANAB-accredited certification provider. Acceptance is determined by your state and local health authority — confirm requirements with your health department before booking.
Agenda
The course agenda, module by module.
Eight FDA Food Code modules of self-paced video, each with a short quiz. Pause and resume as often as you like — progress is saved.
- 50 min
Foodborne illness and the person in charge
How outbreaks happen, the major pathogens and allergens, and the duties a health inspector expects the person in charge to carry out.
- 45 min
Personal hygiene and employee health
Handwashing, glove use, bare-hand contact rules, reportable illnesses, and when to exclude or restrict an employee.
- 1 hr 10 min
Time and temperature control
Cooking, cooling, reheating and hot/cold holding parameters, thermometer calibration, and TCS food logs that survive an inspection.
- 50 min
Purchasing, receiving and storage
Approved suppliers, receiving criteria, date marking, FIFO rotation, and dry, cold and frozen storage requirements.
- 45 min
Preventing cross-contamination
Separation and workflow, cutting board and utensil discipline, allergen control, and handling ready-to-eat food safely.
- 45 min
Cleaning and sanitizing
Manual and mechanical warewashing, sanitizer concentrations and contact times, test strips, and a working cleaning schedule.
- 45 min
Facilities, equipment and pest control
Water, plumbing and cross-connections, lighting and ventilation, waste handling, and an integrated pest management program.
- 1 hr
HACCP, active managerial control and training
The seven HACCP principles, variance and HACCP-plan triggers, staff training records, and self-inspection routines.
Total time on task: About 8 hours of video and quizzes, plus a 60–90 minute proctored exam. Most managers spread it over two or three sittings.
Module order and runtimes follow the Always Food Safe course; your exact timing depends on quiz retries and playback speed.
Time expectations
What happens when, from payment to certificate.
No appointment to book. The only clock that matters is your own.
Minute 1
Register and pay
Name, email, phone and language, then the $149 flat fee. About a minute — there is no appointment or session to schedule.
Within hours
Course and exam link arrive
We email your video training plus your personal proctored-exam link. Both stay open until you finish.
Your own pace
Train, then test
Roughly 8 hours of video across as many sittings as you like, then a 60–90 minute proctored exam whenever you are ready — day or night. Results appear on screen.
Same day
Approved and issued
We review the passing result and email your ANAB-accredited certificate, usually the same day. Valid 5 years.
What you receive
Everything included in the $149.
One flat fee. No exam-day surcharge, no proctor fee, no certificate fee.
- ANAB-accredited Food Protection Manager certificate (PDF), valid 5 years
- Wallet card version to keep on site for inspections
- Instant on-screen exam result — no waiting for a mailed packet
- One free retake if you do not pass the first time
- Full self-paced video course with chapter quizzes and a practice exam
- Course access in English or Spanish, your choice at sign-up
- A downloadable receipt for expense or reimbursement
- A named proctor you can call or text if anything goes wrong
Meet your proctor
One proctor, start to certificate.
Coastal Food Safety Exams is run by a certified Always Food Safe proctor based in Hampton Roads, Virginia. When you register, a real person reviews your file, sends your course, and approves your certificate — the same person you can call or text if anything goes wrong.
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Food Manager exam questions.
Don't see yours? Ask us directly in the booking form below — a real proctor replies.
- Both are ANSI-CFP / ANAB accredited Food Protection Manager certifications, which makes them legally equivalent credentials for health-department purposes. The exam content standard is the same; the provider and the experience differ. ServSafe® is a registered trademark of the National Restaurant Association and we are not affiliated with them.
- The proctored exam itself typically runs 60–90 minutes. The self-paced video training beforehand takes most people about 8 hours, spread over as many sittings as you like.
- Five years from the date you pass, unless your local jurisdiction requires more frequent renewal.
- Your registration includes one free retake. We reopen your exam link at no extra charge — again, with no appointment to book.
- Yes. There is nothing to schedule — register, work through the video training at your own pace, then open your exam link whenever you are ready, day or night. Motivated candidates finish in a day.
- A laptop or desktop with a webcam and microphone, reliable internet, a quiet private room, and a government-issued photo ID. A phone alone is not enough.
Register
Register for my exam.
Send your name, email, and phone and we email your course access and personal exam link, usually within a couple of hours. Nothing to schedule — open the exam when you're ready.
- Remotely proctored exam, English or Spanish
- ANAB-accredited certification exam
- $149 per person, one free retake
- Instant result on screen when you finish
Where it's accepted
Where our certifications are accepted
Acceptance is ultimately determined by your state and local health authority. We recommend confirming any specific requirements with your local health department before booking.
Food Manager Certification
ANAB-accredited and recognized by health departments across the USA. Equivalent accreditation to other ANSI-CFP Food Protection Manager programs.
Food Handler Card
Meets ANAB-accredited training requirements in California, Texas, Illinois, Arizona, Virginia, New Mexico, and many local jurisdictions in all 50 states.