California Food Manager Certification – Health Department Approved
The Alameda County Food Manager Certification, offered through AAA Food Handler, provides a nationally accredited food manager certification through the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). Our training and exams are fully online and flexible, making it easy for food managers in Alameda County to meet compliance requirements without disrupting busy schedules.
This ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) Accredited program fulfills the standards required to earn the Food Manager Certification, as recognized by local and state health authorities. Courses are available in both English and Spanish, giving every participant an equal opportunity to complete their Food Safety Certification.



















With our Conference for Food Protection (ANAB-CFP) aligned program, managers and staff can complete training and exams entirely online. Lessons are self-paced, accessible 24/7, and built to match the unique food safety expectations set by Alameda County and the State of California.
Learn how to anticipate problems before they escalate, protecting both customers and business operations from foodborne illness.
Strengthen your ability to identify risks quickly and make sound decisions during daily food safety oversight.
Replace outdated or unsafe practices with clear, proven methods that uphold safety standards across your kitchen.
Reduce the likelihood of violations and avoid setbacks by staying proactive with compliance and monitoring.
A well-trained leadership team ensures smoother workflows, consistent service, and fewer interruptions.
Staff and managers perform better when food safety protocols are second nature, leading to stronger teamwork and a safer work culture.
From neighborhood eateries in Oakland to large dining establishments in Berkeley and Fremont, AAA Food Handler’s Food Protection Manager Certification is valid across Alameda County. Employers and employees alike can count on streamlined compliance, ensuring their certification is accepted by every health jurisdiction in the county.
Numerous professionals nationwide have already earned and renewed their card with AAA Food Handler — a trusted name in food safety training.
Know Before You Train
The Alameda County Food Manager Certification shows that a food service manager has successfully passed a state-approved food safety exam and is qualified to oversee safe food handling in any establishment. California law requires every food business in Alameda County to have at least one Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) on staff. This ensures operations meet county health and safety regulations.
Any person in charge of a food facility—such as a restaurant, café, catering company, food truck, or school cafeteria—must hold a valid Food Manager Certification. If your role involves managing employees who handle unpackaged or perishable food, you are required by law to be certified.
You can earn your Alameda County Food Manager Certification by passing an ANAB-accredited Food Protection Manager Exam. With AAA Food Handler, the process is straightforward—our training materials prepare you for the exam, which you can complete online with an approved proctor. Once you pass, your certificate is valid for five years.
In Alameda County, Food Manager Certification is valid for five years. After that, managers must retake and pass the approved exam to renew their certification and remain compliant.
Yes. AAA Food Handler offers the Alameda County Food Manager exam online through secure remote proctoring. This means you can take the test from anywhere with internet access, without needing to travel to a testing center.
According to the California Health & Safety Code, every food facility in Alameda County that prepares, handles, or serves unpackaged food must employ at least one Certified Food Protection Manager. Temporary food facilities are generally exempt. The certification must be issued by an ANAB-accredited program and be kept on file at the establishment for inspection purposes.
While the law allows either the owner or an employee to be certified, in practice, it is typically the general manager, head chef, or kitchen manager. Many employers in Alameda County require multiple managers or chefs to hold certification, even if only one is legally required.
Food managers play a critical role in protecting public health. They are responsible for:
By maintaining proper certification, food managers help prevent foodborne illnesses and keep their establishments inspection-ready.
Operating without a certified food manager in Alameda County can lead to health code violations, fines, or even the temporary closure of the establishment. Certification ensures compliance and builds trust with both customers and inspectors.
AAA Food Handler provides a county-approved pathway to certification with convenient online training and exams. Our program is accepted across Alameda County, making it simple for managers and staff to meet legal requirements without delays.
Food Manager Reviews
4.9
Very helpful. Thanks!
Very concise, clear and current material, that moved at a good pace to help retain information, but not bore me and lose my attention. Well recommended.
All good, but consider letting modules to be backed up to allow time to take notes on temps and acronyms. Otherwise very well presented. Thanks!
Food Manager was great.
This Food Manager Course is very thorough and informative.
I learned some new things from this course, even though I have taken this type of course many times before. I liked the fresh, colorful images used in the course. I kept thinking, “I want to eat that food.”
It was often difficult to recognize when the course wanted input other than clicking Next Module. It was visually unclear that I was supposed to do something else in order to progress. This led to having to go back and redo a module unnecessarily. I felt like the Next Module button shouldn’t have worked if I wasn’t ready to proceed. That, at least, would have prompted me to look for another needed input.
This was a fun interactive food safety certification course highly recommend
pay attention
The course mentions MSG as a negative in food. The crusade against MSG over the last few decades has been proven to be a racially fueled campaign to drive Chinese and other Asian owned restaurants out of business. To not remove and alter that information and acknowledge this only serves to perpetuate a racist anti Asian Rhetoric. I hope you will recognize that continuing to say and spread this misinformation is harmful.
The training was interesting and held my attention. I liked the training being broken down into modules.
The course was extremely thorough, and easy to follow. They were very helpful when I needed to extend my learning course prior to my exam and I felt like they really cared.
The food manager training was thorough and well organized, covering all critical aspect of food safety, hygiene and regulatory compliance and course material was easy to follow. thank you.
The course was user friendly and very informative.
This was a very detailed course, it outlined everything I needed to know as it pertains to handling food. It also gave me great tips on how to properly train other employees. I would highly recommend this course to all business owners in the food industry.
Very clear concise and to the point.