Section 750.220  Food Handlers − Course Approval

a)         If an entity uses an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) food handler training accredited program, that training program shall be automatically approved by the Department (Section 3.06(e) of the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act).

b)         Certified local health departments in counties serving jurisdictions with a population of 100,000 or less, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2010 Census of Population, and the other six counties (Will, Kane, McHenry, Tazewell, Kendall and Macon) listed in the Act, may have a food handler training program. The training program must meet the requirements of Section 750.210 and be approved by the Department. (Section 3.06(f) of the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act) These certified local health departments with approved training programs can teach food handlers in restaurants and in food service establishments that are not restaurants only within the certified local health department's jurisdiction. The training program shall maintain a list of individuals trained for a minimum of five years from the date of the individuals' training.

c)         Any entity can provide food handler training to employees working in a restaurant by using an ANSI accredited food handler training program, including the ANSI assessment, that meets the requirements of "Standards for Accreditation of Food Protection Manager Programs", incorporated by reference in Section 750.110. The training program shall maintain a list of individuals trained for a minimum of five years from the date of the individuals' training.

d)         If a business with an internal training program is approved in another state prior to August 27, 2013, then the business' training program and assessment shall be automatically approved by the Department upon the business providing proof that the program is approved in that state. (Section 3.06(c) of the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act) The business shall register the training program with the Department using an application provided by the Department.  For the purpose of this Section, "business" means an organization that provides a food handler training program that was approved in another state prior to August 27, 2013.

e)         Any entity can provide food handler training to employees working in a food service establishment that is not a restaurant by using a food handler training program that meets the training and assessment requirements listed in Section 750.210. The entity providing the training program shall apply for Department approval using an application provided by the Department.

1)         Training may be conducted by any means available, including, but not limited to: on-line, computer, classroom, live trainers, remote trainers, and certified food service sanitation managers. (Section 3.05(c) of the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act)

2)         There must be at least one commercially available approved food handler training module at a cost of no more than $15 per employee; training may include, but is not limited to, on-line, computer, classroom, live trainers, remote trainers, and certified food service sanitation managers. If an approved food handler training module is not available at that cost, then provisions of this Section shall not apply and food handlers shall comply with Section 3.06 of the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. (Section 3.05(c) of the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act)

f)         Any and all documents, materials, or information related to a restaurant or business food handler training module submitted to the Department is confidential and shall not be open to public inspection or dissemination and is exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act.  (Section 3.06(g) of the Food Handling Regulation and Enforcement Act)