National Restaurant Association's Servsafe Food Handler Earns Ansi Accreditation To Meet California Food Handler Card Law Requirements

The National Restaurant Association today earned American National Standards Institute (ANSI) ASTM E2659 accreditation for its ServSafe� Food Handler training and assessment program. California recently enacted a law that makes accredited food safety training mandatory for all restaurant employees who handle, prepare or store food. ServSafe Food Handler is the leading program for food handler training in California.



The California Food Handler Card law was modified on Sept. 6, 2011, per SB 303 to require accreditation for approved training programs. As a result, only programs with the ANSI/ASTM E2659-09 Standard Practice for Certificate Programs Accreditation are qualified to issue compliant California Food Handler cards.



In addition to earning the ANSI ASTM E2659 accreditation, the ServSafe Food Handler program also received two commendations by ANSI. The first commendation is for a well-designed curriculum developed by a highly skilled team with advanced degrees. The second commendation is for the ServSafe California Call Center, which provides customer service by offering real-time, personal assistance to students in multiple languages by staff that is familiar with the law, the program and the state's geography.



"Food safety is fundamental for the restaurant industry and the National Restaurant Association has provided the gold-standard for food safety training for several decades, with our ServSafe program being the most widely recognized and accepted food safety training program in the nation," said David Gilbert, COO of the National Restaurant Association. "Gaining accreditation in the state of California helps us aid tens of thousands of restaurant operators comply with the state's Food Handler Card Law and ensure that every meal served is safe and healthful."



The National Restaurant Association's ServSafe Food Safety program offers classroom and online training options in a variety of languages aimed at both foodservice managers and employees. The ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification is nationally recognized and has been accredited by ANSI under CFP Standards since 2001. ServSafe Food Handler is the second ServSafe program to be accredited by ANSI.



For additional information on the California Food Handler Card Law and to take the ServSafe Food Handler training course in the state, visit www.FoodHandlerUSA.com or the California Restaurant Association website (www.calrest.org/foodhandler). For additional information on ServSafe Manager training, visit www.ServSafe.com.