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Food Worker Cards
The most important part of food safety is people. Understanding how to handle food safely is important to help keep Snohomish County free from foodborne illness and disease.
Food worker cards help ensure that all workers are knowledgeable about basic food safety practices. The food worker card training covers sanitation concepts like avoiding cross contamination, handwashing, and no bare hand contact with ready to eat food. It also talks about proper food preparation and the temperatures that control germs in food.
You must have a food worker card within 14 days of hire, supported by on-the-job food safety training from your employer.
You are required to get a Washington State food worker card if you:
- Work with unpackaged food, including restaurants and bars.
- Touch food equipment, including washing dishes.
- Work at a surface on which people place unwrapped food, including grocery store cashiers and baggers.
New Card Verify Feature
The Online Washington State Food Worker Card website now provides public access to verify the validity of a food worker card. Go to cardverify.tpchd.org and verify your card by scanning the QR code or entering the card information.
IN-PERSON classes no longer offered
Due to the lack of demand, we will no longer offer in-person food worker card classes at the Snohomish County Health Department, starting in 2025.
Most of our community uses the online option to take the class and test and print their food worker card. If you don’t have access to a computer, we suggest your local library as an option. If you don’t have access to a printer, you can take the class and test online and then call 425-339-5250 or come to our office and we can print it. You can also pay for the card over the phone or in our office if you do not want to pay for the card online.
GET A CARD ONLINE
The Washington State Food Worker Card website is the only online training program authorized to provide you with a valid food worker card in Snohomish County and Washington state. Other websites that appear to offer a similar card are not recognized as a valid government-issued permit to work in a food establishment in Washington state.
The online training is available in several languages.
It takes about one hour to go through the online class and take the test. You must pay the $10 fee by Visa, Mastercard or Discover or a debit card with a Visa, Mastercard or Discover logo. The payment will go to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. If you have any issues with payment, call their helpdesk at 253-649-1416 or email the Tacoma-Pierce Health Department.
CHECKLIST BEFORE YOU LOG-IN TO TAKE THE CLASS
- Use a computer connected to a printer so you can print your own food worker card after the test. The Snohomish County Health Department does NOT mail you a copy of your card.
- Have your Visa or Mastercard ready to pay online. You can also call our office at 425-339-5250 to pay with a credit card over the phone if you feel more comfortable doing that.
- If you have any trouble during the online course, contact the Tacoma-Pierce Health Department. They oversee the actual site and will be able to help you if the site isn’t working correctly.
ONLINE GROUP PAY
There is a way to pay for multiple food worker cards at once. First you will need to go to the online class Group Payment page and create an account. Once you have an account, you can create a class. This will give you a class code. You give this class code to each person that needs to take the test. After they have taken the class and test, they are given the option to pay or enter the class code. This puts them on the class list. Once you are ready to pay, you go in and pay for the group at once. The cards would then be sent to each person through the email account they enter when they take the class.
renewal cards
If you re-take the class and test within 60 days before the expiration date of your current card, you will receive a 3-year card. Expired cards are not eligible to renew for a 3-year card. You must take the class and test again to renew your food worker card. If you qualify, you should automatically receive a 3-year card after taking the class and test and paying for the card. If your old card has expired, you will only be able to receive a 2-year card.
Very rarely, the online system will give a 2-year card when you qualify for a 3-year card. If you contact the Snohomish County Health Department at 425-339-5250 or email Food Safety, we can upgrade your card to a 3-year card if we see that you qualify for a 3-year card.
Replacing a Card
If you have lost your card, you can get a replacement card (with the original test date) for $10. We accept cash, credit and debit (Visa and MasterCard). You can come to the customer service desk in person, located at 3020 Rucker Ave, Everett, Suite 104 to pay for and pick up the card. You can also call the customer service desk at 425-339-5250 to pay for the card over the phone and have the card mailed to you.
If you originally received your card online, you can order a duplicate online to be emailed to you. You must pay the $10 fee by Visa, Mastercard or Discover or a debit card with a Visa, Mastercard or Discover logo. The payment will go to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. If you have any issues with payment, call their helpdesk at 253-649-1416 or email the Tacoma-Pierce Health Department.
Certified Food Protection Manager
The new food code requires each food service establishment to have a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM). This CFPM needs to have passed an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved food manager test. This is a list of the ANSI approved courses that will meet the CFPM Requirement. With these courses, you are looking for the FOOD MANAGER options. These companies also provide a Food Handler option. That is not an acceptable way to meet the CFPM requirement.
Six things to note about the new requirement:
- The CFPM does not need to be on-site, although a copy of the certificate does. This means that not all managers need to be certified. You could have one person designated as the CFPM for the food service establishment or even several establishments.
- An establishment will have 60 days to replace a CFPM if their previous CFPM leaves.
- The CFPM will be responsible for implementing a food protection program which helps each Person in Charge (PIC) and any other employees follow the food code.
- The CFPM will be responsible for training each PIC so that they understand food safety concepts and are able to demonstrate knowledge and maintain Active Managerial Control (AMC).
- A CFPM is not required to take a class, although it is encouraged. They are just required to pass one of the ANSI approved food manager tests.
- Low Risk Establishments, Temporary Food Services and Youth Activity Concessions are exempt from the CFPM requirement. It is still encouraged for those operators to have a CFPM, but not a requirement for operation.
5-YEAR FOOD WORKER CARD
To receive an extended 5-year food worker card you must first have your Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certification. Here is a list of all of the ANSI approved CFPM courses.
Once you have your CFPM certificate, you must still take the food worker card class/test within 2 years of the CFPM certificate date to qualify for a 5-year card. You will receive either a 2 or 3-year card at that time. Then email Food Safety to request that we turn your 2 or 3-year card into a 5-year card. Your email must include a picture or scan of your CFPM certificate and new food worker card. If you qualify, your food worker card will be extended to a 5-year card. The food worker card class online system will then email the new 5-year card to you to print out.
If you have received your CFPM certificate and currently have a valid food worker card that lasts for another 1.5-2 years, we encourage you to wait until just before that food worker card expires to retake the class/test and email us for your 5-year card.
STUDY GUIDES
Prepare for the class by reviewing the Washington State Food Worker Manual in advance. Booklets and tests are available in several languages. We also have a Ukrainian Food and Beverage Workers Manual.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS / PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES
If you have any other questions about food worker cards or the food worker card classes, contact the Snohomish County Health Department Food Safety voicemail line at 425-339-8730 or Email Food Safety.