Get food handler certified

What it is

• Food handler training covers the basics of safe cooking: keeping food at safe temperatures, storing and reheating it, avoiding cross-contamination, cleaning and handling allergens.
• Courses usually take a few hours to a day, and typically cost somewhere between free and about $100, depending on who runs them.
• In Ontario, a food handler certificate is generally valid for five years.

How to get certified

1. 1. Choose a course

   Take a food handler course from your public health unit or a training provider they recognise. Many are online, so you can learn at your own pace, and some are offered in languages other than English.

2. 2. Pass the exam

   The course ends with a short exam. When you pass, you get a certificate, usually as a PDF you can download.

3. 3. Upload it to your dashboard

   In your dashboard, open Profile and upload the certificate under Food handler certificate. Only our team can see the file.

4. 4. Get your badge

   We check it and add a Food handler certified badge to your kitchen page, so customers can see you've done the training.

Find your public health unit

Your local public health unit can tell you about food handler courses, including any they run themselves, and which other providers they recognise. Choose the one for where you cook.

• Peel Public HealthMississauga, Brampton, Caledon
• Toronto Public HealthToronto, including Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough
• York Region Public HealthMarkham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Aurora
• Durham Region Health DepartmentAjax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa
• Halton Region Public HealthOakville, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills
• Hamilton Public Health ServicesHamilton

Elsewhere in Ontario? Find your public health unit.

Running a home food business

Certification is one part of selling food from home. The rules depend on what you make: low-risk foods like many baked goods and jams often have fewer requirements than cooked meals with meat, dairy or rice. Your public health unit can tell you what applies to you. It's worth asking them about:

• whether you need to let them know about, or register, your home food business;
• whether they need to inspect your kitchen;
• labelling, especially ingredients and allergens;
• safe packaging, storage and delivery.

Many home food businesses also choose liability insurance. On Home Cuisine Market, keep your menus' diet marks and allergens accurate, and answer customers' allergen questions honestly. See the Cook Terms.

The province's rules for food premises are in Ontario Regulation 493/17.