Food Protection Certificate

The NYC Health Academy offers a food protection course for restaurant managers, operators and other staff. Anyone can take this class.

The Health Code says food places must have a supervisor with a Food Protection Certificate. This person must be on duty during all hours of operation to supervise food preparation and processing, keeping food safe in New York City's food places.

Course options

There are two ways to take the Food Protection Course:

In-person at the NYC Health Academy

• Cost: $114
• Registration: You can register online or in person. If online, check the box next to Health Academy Training Courses, select Continue at the bottom of the page and select Food Protection Course when prompted.
• Frequency and duration: The in-person class is 15 hours long. It is given over five days. Each daily session lasts three hours. The course starts on Monday and ends on Friday. If Monday is a City holiday, classes will start on Tuesday and end on Friday. Each session will then last three hours and 45 minutes.
• Languages: The class is available in English, Bangla and Spanish. Final exams are available in 37 languages.
• Certificate: When you pass the final exam, you will get a temporary Food Protection Certificate.

Online course

• Cost: Free course, $24 for the final exam
• Registration: The online course is free. The final exam must be taken in person.
• Languages: The free online course is offered in English, Spanish and Chinese.
• Structure: The course is self-paced and has 15 lessons. You must complete each lesson and pass a quiz before moving to the next lesson.
• Final exam: The final exam must be taken in person. When you pass the online course, you will be prompted to register and pay for the final exam. When you pass the final exam, you will get a temporary Food Protection Certificate. Final exams and exam study guides are available in 37 languages.

Recommendations

The Health Department recommends that restaurants encourage more staff to get a Food Protection Certificate. This helps avoid gaps in supervision and possible fines, and it ensures more staff are certified in the safe preparation, storage and handling of food.

This course is open to the public.

You can take the Food Protection Course in two ways:

In-person at the NYC Health Academy

• The course and final exam cost $114.

• You can sign up online or in person.

• To register online:

  • Check the box next to Health Academy Training Courses.
  • Select Continue at the bottom of the page.
  • Select the Food Protection Course when asked.

Online

• The online course is free.
• The final exam costs $24 and must be taken in person.

You need a valid email address to take the online course or sign up online for the in-person class.

Accepted payment methods

• Certified check (payable to NYC DOHMH, accepted only in person)
• Money order (payable to NYC DOHMH, accepted only in person)
• American Express
• Discover
• Mastercard
• Visa
• E-Check (accepted only online; need bank routing number and account number)

In-person course or final exam

If you signed up for the in-person Food Protection Course, or if you scheduled your in-person final exam after finishing the online course, you will go to:

The NYC Health Academy
Riverside Health Center
160 West 100th St.
Manhattan

You must bring a government-issued photo ID.

Failed examination

If you fail the final exam, you must sign up again for the in-person class or retake the online course. You will need to pay all the fees again.

Replacement requests

You can schedule an appointment to get a new Food Protection Certificate if you lose yours.

Steps to schedule an appointment:

• Scroll down to Health Academy Training Courses and check the box.

• Scroll down to the bottom and click Continue.

• The cost is $16.

Appointment location:

NYC Health Academy
Riverside Health Center, 2nd floor
160 W. 100th St.
Manhattan

Certificate validity

Your Food Protection Certificate does not expire. You do not need to renew it. You can use it at any food place in New York City. The food place must have a permit from the NYC Health Department.

• For help with the online course or registration, call 311 and ask for Health Academy Registration.

• To register online for the in-person class at the NYC Health Academy:

  • Check the box next to Health Academy Training Courses.
  • Select Continue at the bottom of the page.
  • Enter your information. When asked, select the Food Protection Course.
  • Continue and pay by credit or debit card, or by e-check.

• Take the self-paced online course.

• In-person registration for the classroom course is by appointment only.

  • You must call or email the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to schedule an appointment at its Manhattan or Queens locations.
  • After you apply for the course, DCWP will give you a receipt with the date and time of your class.
  • Schedule an appointment (PDF)