The Texas Food Handler Education Act requires food employees to complete a state-approved food handler course within sixty days of hire. Austin City Code Chapter 10-3 requires every food establishment to employ at least one Certified Food Manager with credential posted on premises.
Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 438 (the Food Handler Education Act) requires anyone working with unpackaged food, food equipment, or utensils to complete a Texas Department of State Health Services accredited food handler course within sixty days of hire. The card is valid for two years statewide. Austin additionally requires each food establishment to employ at least one Certified Food Manager who has passed an ANSI-accredited exam, with the original certificate posted on premises under Chapter 10-3 and Texas Food Establishment Rules. During Austin Public Health inspection, missing or expired credentials are critical violations affecting the inspection score. Mobile food units, school cafeterias, and temporary event vendors are also covered. Online courses are widely accepted if state-accredited.
Operating without a Certified Food Manager, employing untrained food handlers past the sixty-day window, or displaying expired certificates results in critical inspection violations, score deductions, mandatory reinspection, and fines up to two thousand dollars.
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