July 28, 2014
The State of Illinois recently adopted a Food Handler Law. Beginning July 1, 2014 restaurant employees in direct contact with food preparation, are required to complete the Illinois Food Handler Card Training or equivalent program in basic food safety principles from an ANSI-accredited training organization.
According to the law, the food handler training certificate must be renewed every three years, and newly hired staff must complete this training within 30 days of beginning employment.
The law defined restaurants as those businesses “primarily engaged in the sale of ready-to-eat food for immediate consumption',” where “primarily engaged” means that at least 51% of total sales are derived from such ready-to-eat food.