PENNSYLVANIA
FOOD HANDLERS CARD

The Pennsylvania Food Handlers course is a certified online course accredited by the ANAB and teaches fundamental food safety practices. It’s aimed at lowering food-related risks in kitchens and food service areas across the state.

The Food Handler Certificate Course can be completed in about 1.5 hours. Since it’s self-paced, you can stop and start whenever it suits your schedule.

You can take the Food Handler course online at any time, day or night. It’s accessible 24/7, so you can learn from home or on the go using your phone, tablet, or computer.

The Food Handler Certificate Course is ideal for anyone working around food, including kitchen staff, servers, cooks, and food prep workers. It’s also an excellent tool for business owners to ensure team-wide compliance.

After you finish the Food Handler course and meet the passing requirements, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion that can be downloaded or printed for your records.

The Pennsylvania Food Handlers Card is offered at an affordable price of $6.95. Businesses can also take advantage of discounted rates when enrolling groups of employees.

The Food Handler Certificate Course is available in both English and Spanish, allowing you to learn in the language that you feel most comfortable with.

To earn your certificate, you must score 70% or higher on the final exam, which consists of 40 questions. You’ll have two opportunities to pass.

The Food Handler certificate course helps workers recognize potential food safety risks, make more intelligent decisions during food prep, and reduce the chance of contamination. This course contributes to a safer environment for both employees and customers.

The Pennsylvania food handler certificate is valid throughout the state, including significant counties like Philadelphia and Allegheny. It meets and often exceeds local food safety regulations.

Possessing a food handler card demonstrates your commitment to food safety, making you a strong candidate for promotions and leadership roles. It also prepares you for advanced certifications.

It means the course meets nationally recognized standards for food safety courses, making your food handler card valid in more states and trusted by more employers.

A personal and portable food handler card allows you to carry it to new employers. However, verify that it’s accepted in your new location, as requirements may vary.

You can sell a wide variety of non-potentially hazardous homemade foods, including baked goods, jams, jellies, candies, dry mixes, roasted coffee, flavored vinegars, and even meat jerky, making Pennsylvania one of the few states to allow home-prepared jerky.

You can sell directly from your home, at farmers markets, roadside stands, retail stores, online, and even across state lines. Pennsylvania is unique in explicitly allowing interstate sales for cottage food businesses.

Contact the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services.
Address: 2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110.

Pennsylvania does not have a specific “Cottage Food Law,” but homemade food producers can operate under the state’s Limited Food Establishment license. To qualify, you must complete a basic food safety training course. A Food Handler certificate from an ANSI-accredited provider like AAA Food Handler is accepted and recommended. This training helps ensure safe food handling practices and is a required part of the application process. Be sure to check with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for the latest licensing guidelines and requirements.