According to this story in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel yesterday:
A new law has an estimated 20,000 restaurants, grocery stores, vendors and even gas stations across the state scrambling to have a certified food handler on staff by Jan. 1, said Scott Gilliam, director of the Food Protection Program for the Indiana State Department of Health. "Easily, we're going to have to have 50,000 people certified by January," Gilliam said.Details are available here on the Indiana State Department of Health website, includng this:Its goal is to protect the public from unsafe food. But Mindy Waldron, Food Division director of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health, and Gilliam said the law written by the Indiana Restaurant and Hospitality Association has its weak points. The food handlers are not required to be on site, and there are no guidelines for how they are to supervise the rest of the staff. "We are in the process of formulating some policy on this," Gilliam said. "Our belief is that the person must have primary oversight for food safety. That means you can't hire a teenager who works on the serving line and think you have oversight." * * *
To date, 18 states have some version of a food-handler certification requirement, said Leeann Chuboff, manager of science and regulatory relations with the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. To be certified, a food handler must pass a written exam. Noncompliance can result in up to a $100-a-day fine for the establishment.
While not required, the state has recommended food handlers take an accredited course before taking the exam. * * * Courses are being offered throughout the state, including by Purdue University Extension offices, health departments and private companies. The cost is minimal; daylong courses range from $65 to $150. For management personnel, the responsibility of food handler will likely just be added to their regular duties. Some fast food chains may bump up hourly wages a bit for nonmanagement food-handlers.
The new Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) Rule 410 IAC 7-22, Certification of Food Handler Requirements. This rule became effective on June 19, 2003; however, the actual certification requirement does not take effect until January 1, 2005. The new rule incorporates much of the language in IC 16-42-5.2 with a few additions for clarity.Posted by Marcia Oddi at May 28, 2004 10:41 AM