Food Safety for Food Service Employees/Certified Food Protection Manager

Food Education Courses

Employees at licensed food establishments who cook, prepare or handle food, wash dishes or clean food contact equipment, are required to complete and pass an approved food education course.

1.   All managerial and supervisory employees: prior to performing any supervisory tasks in the establishment.
2.   All regular employees at non-seasonal food establishments: within 30 days of the date when they begin working in the establishment.
3.   Seasonal employees (those that work seasonally at a non-seasonal food establishment or those that work at a seasonal or temporary food  establishment) or any employee at a mobile food establishment: prior to performing any food handling tasks in the establishment.

2026 Classes

In-person classes are held at the Minot office at 4:00 pm on the following dates.  Participants must preregister.  The fee for the class is $15.00.

Classes with fewer than 10 registered participants are subject to cancellation.

• • Tuesday, February 3
  • Tuesday, May 12th
  • Tuesday, August 4th
  • Tuesday, November 3rd

Additional classes available upon request.  For more information, contact the Minot office at (701) 852-1376.

Approved Online Food Education Courses

Below is the current list of approved food education courses.  Be aware that there are food education courses available on the internet that claim to be approved for North Dakota but are not.  The only approved courses are those listed on this page. 

1. 1. 1. The First District Health Unit Food Safety for Food Service Employees online course.  PLEASE NOTE: After viewing all 8 modules, you must make an appointment to take the Food Safety Certification Test. To make an appointment in Minot, call 701.837.5121.  For appointments in other locations, call your local office directly.
      2. Tacoma-Pierce County Do It Right, Serve It Safe! Recommended for non-English speaking employees.
      3. Click here for a current list of accredited food handler training programs.

ND State Fair Food Safety Classes

The Food Safety in Temporary Establishments course is taught on site on the Thursday before the opening day of the North Dakota State Fair at 9:00am and 1:00pm. The classes are approximately 1.5 hours long and are located in the atrium on the second floor of the ND State Fair Center (across from the ticket offices). The class is free to attend, and no registration is required.  As a reminder, all food employees (including those that are volunteers) who work at food establishments at the ND State Fair are required to have food safety cards prior to performing any tasks, and must have those cards on their person at all times while in the food establishment.

Certified Food Protection Manager

Certain food establishments located in the First District Health Unit must have a person in charge at all times who has taken and passed an approved Certified Food Protection Manager course. This required for all establishments that are classified as risk level 2 or higher with 10 or more food employees, and recommended at all other establishments.  For the most current list of accredited courses, click here.

Food Education Course Approval Requests

If an individual wishes to have a food education course added to the list of approved courses, they must submit the following for approval:

1. The name of the course and the course instructor;
2. The name of the organization that is sponsoring or hosting the course;
3. Contact information for the instructor and host; and
4. A complete description of the course including topics covered and complete copies of all texts, resources and supplemental materials used in the class.

For questions regarding approval of a food education course, or to begin the process of getting a course approved, contact Lisa Westman at ecotto@nd.gov or at (701) 837-5124.