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AAA Food Handler

ILLINOIS
FOOD HANDLERS CARD

4.9
(26,965 reviews)

4.9
(26,965 reviews)

Our clients

BENEFITS OF TRAINING

plates

PREVENT

Education is the best tool to prevent, minimize, or eliminate foodborne illnesses and food hazards.

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AWARENESS

Improve critical thinking and decision making to prevent or avoid sticky situations.
Food Hygiene Training

ELIMINATE

Training helps reduce or eliminate food safety hazards before they become major issues.

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MINIMIZE

Be able to recognize, mitigate, reduce or eliminate the risk of improper food safety procedures.
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PRODUCTIVITY

Reducing food safety complaints will create a happier workplace and in turn increase productivity.

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WORKPLACE SATISFACTION

Serving safe food will increase productivity will in turn increase workplace satisfaction.

WHY CHOOSE US 

California Food Manager Certification
Food safety basics

Getting Your Food Handler Card is Quick and Hassle-Free

Numerous professionals nationwide have already earned and renewed their card with AAA Food Handler — a trusted name in food safety training.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

The Illinois Food Handler Card is a state-approved and ANAB accredited online program that teaches essential food safety practices for food service workers. It covers topics such as proper handwashing, avoiding cross-contamination, temperature control, and cleaning food-contact surfaces. The course is self-paced, available 24/7, and takes about 1.5 hours to complete. Once finished, you’ll receive an official Illinois Food Handler Certificate.

To earn your Illinois Food Handlers Card, you must complete a course approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) or accredited by the ANAB. After passing the exam with a score of 70% or higher, you can download and print your certificate to provide to your employer.

Your Illinois food handler certificate is valid for three years. To stay compliant with Illinois law, you must retake the course and pass the exam again before the expiration date.

You must be at least 14 years old to work in food service in Illinois. Workers under 16 may have limits on equipment use and work hours. At age 18, employees are typically allowed to perform all food service tasks.

Yes. Illinois accepts online courses, as long as it is approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) or accredited by the ANAB. The online option allows you to complete the course at your own pace from anywhere.

To renew your Illinois Food Handler certificate, you must retake an approved course before your current certificate expires. After passing the exam again, you’ll receive an updated certificate to give to your employer.

According to the CDC, Illinois had 25 foodborne illness outbreaks, resulting in 325 illnesses, 19 hospitalizations, and no deaths. The food handler course helps reduce these incidents by teaching workers how to safely handle and prepare food, protect public health, and avoid violations.

Visit the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) website for current food safety regulations, public health updates, and resources related to food handling practices in the state.

The ANAB is responsible for evaluating and recognizing programs that meet nationally accepted food safety standards. The ANAB helps ensure that food safety training, such as the program offered by AAA Food Handler, meets essential public health guidelines.

AAA Food Handler courses work on most devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. For the best results, use the latest version of Google Chrome. Make sure JavaScript and cookies are enabled, and a PDF reader is installed for accessing course documents.

For official guidance on food safety rules and regulations in Illinois, 

Contact the Food Safety Branch of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH):
525-535 West Jefferson Street, 
Springfield, Illinois 62761.

Food Handler Reviews

4.9

Food Protection Training
26,965 reviews
4.9
4.9 out of 5 stars (based on 26,965 reviews)
Excellent92%
Very good6%
Average2%
Poor0%
Terrible0%

Quick and painless

November 13, 2025

Great program easy to navigate

Allyson

Food

November 13, 2025

mmm yummy food

Kyle

No Title

November 13, 2025

It is a very helpful and informative training

Rina A.

No Title

November 13, 2025

Angie M.

No Title

November 13, 2025

Courtney B.

Required for work

November 13, 2025

Having a hard time finding out how to print my certification with my

Courtney

No Title

November 13, 2025

Alannah

No Title

November 13, 2025

Michael

Very easy

November 13, 2025

Very easy

Leah

Fun

November 13, 2025

Leah

No Title

November 13, 2025

Josefina S.

No Title

November 13, 2025

Josefina S.

No Title

November 13, 2025

Dakota

Good cleaning practices

November 13, 2025

Washing hands can prevent lots of problems

Viky L.

No Title

November 13, 2025

Liz

No Title

November 13, 2025

Shylee W.

Contaminación cruzada

November 13, 2025

Yo no sabía q al usar un mismo cuchillo para cortar un pollo y una lechuga se puede contaminar

Juana

CONFUSO

November 13, 2025

EN EL EXAMEN FINAL HACEN PREGUNTAS GENERALES QUE NO TE EXPLICAN EN EL CURSO Y ESO CONFUNDE

MANNY P.

Easy, Interactive and informative!

November 13, 2025

The course was painless with its delivery, however still kept your attention and focus! It was informative without it being too lengthy, and made it fun with the interactive modules.

GC

No Title

November 13, 2025

Extremely helpful, and very informative!

V S.