How to get a Food Allergen Certification
Register an account with Serving Alcohol
Enroll into Food Allergen Certification course
Pass the exam and receive your certification
Real Food Safety Training for Real Life
Learning should be as dynamic as the food service industry itself. With Always Food Safe, you get video-based courses filmed in real kitchens with real people. Their engaging approach helps you connect with the material, making it more practical and easier to apply in your everyday work.
ANAB Accredited Food Allergen Courses
- ANAB-Accredited Certification: Gain a state-recognized certification that meets health department requirements, ensuring you're fully compliant.
- Convenient, Online Learning: Study at your own pace with flexible, engaging video-based lessons that fit your schedule.
- Practice Exams & Two Test Attempts: Increase your chances of success with practice exams and the industry-first offer of two attempts at your certification exam for the price of one.
State Food Allergen Regulations
Each passing year sees more states bring in legislation that makes allergen training a legal requirement. Currently, 5 states and 1 county require allergen training, including:
Illinois
Michigan
Rhode Island
Massachusetts
Virginia
Montgomery County, Maryland
If your state currently does not have any legal requirement, under federal law, FDA Food Code 2013, you still have a legal responsibility to serve food that is safe and do everything possible to protect the consumer. Protecting an allergy sufferer falls within this Food Code.
We strongly recommend that anyone who works within the food industry completes an allergen training course.
Course Information
Food Allergen Course Content
The course takes around 1 hour to complete. It provides you with knowledge to protect your customers from allergens, covering areas such as common food allergies, risks of cross-contamination, and proper storage techniques. It consists of 6 chapters:
- Chapter 1: Allergens and the Law
- Chapter 2: Introduction to Allergens
- Chapter 3: The 8 Named Allergens
- Chapter 4: Recipe Creation to Storage
- Chapter 5: Preparation Through to Service
- Chapter 6: Cleaning & Personal Hygiene
Final Exam
- The multiple-choice exam consists of 40 questions
- 75% required to pass (30 questions)
- Two exam attempts (within 30 days) with a practice exam and two chapter end quizzes to help prepare
Learn How To
- Personal Responsibility: Learn how to help protect allergy sufferers from food-related incidents.
- Identify Allergens: Recognize the 8 major allergens, hidden allergens, and the importance of proper labeling.
- Hygiene and Cleanliness: Understand the critical role of maintaining clean workspaces and practicing proper personal hygiene.
- Prevent Cross-Contact: Learn the steps necessary to keep allergen-free food safe from contamination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is food allergen training important?
Over 15 million Americans now have a food-based allergy and the number is growing.
Frighteningly, over 150 people a year die from a food allergy, and as an industry, we all have a moral and legal duty to protect the customers we serve.
Food Allergies are a serious and growing threat you need to be aware of. Simply put, a basic mistake could cause a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Do I need food allergen training?
This course is designed to provide managers, food handlers, and servers with an understanding of food allergens, where they can go wrong, and how you can help to minimize the risks to a sufferer, day in, and day out.
Is Always Food Safe's Allergen training similar to ServSafe or other allergen awareness certificates?
Yes, it is!
Servsafe, similar to ourselves, is one of the training providers that have achieved ANSI Accreditation status. Several other training providers have also attained ANSI accreditation.
This means that you can be assured that all ANAB-accredited companies have gone through a rigorous checking process to ensure they meet the standards required.
This is an intensive, 12-month process, and the few training providers that are awarded ANSI accreditation can justifiably be proud of gaining this prestigious recognition!
All these other training providers meet the required standards for accrediting courses. The course content is the same, although chapter headings and the order of the chapters may vary. However, all training materials must be in line with current government guidelines (FDA Food Code 2017).
When will I need to renew my certificate of Allergen Awareness training?
Different states, counties, and cities have different rules on how often they expect you to refresh your Allergen Awareness learning. As a recommended guide, Allergen Awareness training needs to be re-taken/refreshed every 3 years (Illinois is a mandatory 3-year renewal). We do suggest you check with your local health authority.
How can I get a copy of my Allergen Awareness Certificate?
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