One out of three Canadians will get sick from food this year. The cause is often mistakes made by food industry workers, who are responsible for preventing these illnesses. Education is an effective way to prevent illness.
The goal of food safety training is to provide workers with basic knowledge of preventing illnesses.
Each one-day course is taught by a public health inspector. A written exam is taken at the end of the course. We offer training for non-corporate groups at facilities. You must have 20 people or more to book. Participants who pass the exam will get a Food Handler Training Certificate and laminated wallet card. Please allow three weeks for processing.
Remember: all Food Handler Training Certificates expire after 5 years.
| Study options |
| Classroom |
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Health Department food safety training course dates
For information on courses offered in North Durham through Durham College, please contact The Nourish and Develop Foundation at 705-432-2444.
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| Home study |
- The cost for the home study option is $25 (for manual and exam) or $10 for exam fee only.
- Registration for any course must be completed in person at Health Department office located at 101 Consumers Drive, Whitby.
- The exam must be written at the Regional Municipality of Durham Headquarters located at 605 Rossland Road East, Whitby.
In Good Hands is an online food handler training tool comprised of 15 modules that may take up to 12 hours to complete. Once completed, you must challenge the certification exam in person by contacting the Health Department for availability.
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| Other accredited courses |
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Accredited private certification programs/companies
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| Challenge the exam |
The test is for the following people:
- Those who have taken the full course before.
- Those who are familiar with good food safety practices.
- It costs $10 to challenge the test.
To register you must:
Contact the Health Department and visit our Health Protection division
| 2019 exam challenge schedule |
- January 7 (Course full)
- February 4 (Course full)
- March 4
- April 1
- May 6
- June 3
- July 8
- August 12
- September 9
- October 7
- November 4
- December 2
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Exam challenge times and locations
Regional Municipality of Durham Headquarters
605 Rossland Road East, Whitby
Room 1B
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Map this location
Please note: Rooms are booked from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants are to arrive at 1 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.
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| Online training |
For online training (including online exams), check out these approved online providers:
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| Group training |
We may be able to provide group training for (e.g. health and child care staff, high school students, community organizations) at your facility. A minimum of 20 people is required for each booking.
Contact the Health Department to inquire about group bookings.
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| Training in other languages |
If you require the exam in a language other than English, let us know when you register. We currently offer exams in:
- Arabic
- Chinese (simplified)
- Farsi (Persian)
- French
- Greek
- Hindi
- Korean
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Punjabi
- Spanish
- Tagalog
- Tamil
- Urdu
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| Topics covered and test information |
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The test is made up of 50 multiple-choice questions. You must get a minimum score of 70 per cent (35/50) to pass.
Topics covered include:
- Public health legislation
- Role of the Health Department
- Hazard analysis
- Microbiological causes of food poisoning
- Chemical food poisoning
- Critical controls
- Temperature control
- Personal hygiene
- Preventing cross-contamination
- Cleaning and sanitizing
- Safe food supplies
- Food premises sanitation
- Construction requirements
- Equipment design and maintenance
- Garbage storage and handling
- Pest control
- Layout
- HACCP implementation
- Recipe audits
- Monitoring criteria
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| Course manual |
How do I get my manual for the course?
If you are dropping off your form and payment, we will give you your course manual. You can download a copy of the manual free of charge. If you are mailing in your payment, we will mail it to the address on your form.
How do I get ready for the course?
Please read the manual before you come to the course.
When will I get my certificate?
It will take approximately three weeks for your test to be marked and your certificate to be mailed out.
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| Registration |
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Download the course registration form
- Fill out the registration form
- Mail or drop off your completed registration form to 101 Consumers Drive, Whitby, ON L1N 1C4
If you work or live outside of Durham Region, you can contact your local health unit and ask about their courses.
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| Course fees |
- Full day course with manual and exam: $40
- Full day course and exam *(with online copy of the manual*) $20
- Home study with manual and exam: $25
- Exam challenge only: $10
Download a copy of the manual free of charge.
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| Payment options and refunds |
If you are mailing in your form, you can send a cheque or money order payable to "The Regional Municipality of Durham".
Mailed registration forms must be sent to:
Durham Region Health Department
101 Consumers Drive
Whitby, ON L1N 1C4
If you are dropping your registration form off in person, you can pay with cash, but it must be the exact amount. We do not give change. You can pay by cheque or money order that is made payable to "The Regional Municipality of Durham" and deliver it to the address above.
- You must register and pay for a scheduled class four weeks before the course start date.
- We will give you the manual when you pay and register in-person, or mail it to you if you have mailed your registration form.
Refunds
You will not get a refund if you have already registered and paid for the course.
If you cannot attend your scheduled course, you must tell us 48 hours before the scheduled course. Based on availability, we can put you on a waiting list for the next available course date.
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