Bergenfield, NJ Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

Section 344-36 of the Bergenfield Borough Code, amended October 16, 2007, sets certification tiers by risk level. In a Risk Type 2 or Risk Type 3 Food Establishment, at least one person in charge must become a certified food protection manager within one year of the section's effective date by passing an examination through a program accredited by the Conference of Food Protection, and must keep the certificate current through the program's renewal requirements. Within two years, every person in charge at a Risk Type 3 establishment must meet that same certification standard, and after that two-year window any new person in charge at a Risk Type 3 establishment must certify within 60 days of starting the job.

Workers at Risk Type 2 establishments who are not the certified manager instead complete a food handler's course of instruction and pass a written exam covering food protection, sanitation and personal hygiene, run monthly under the Bergenfield Health Department's supervision, and enroll within 30 days of starting as a person in charge. Cards from other jurisdictions' health departments are accepted if the training is similar and a copy is filed with Bergenfield, but no card is valid for more than three years regardless of issuer. Fees are fixed at $15 for an initial food handler's card, $5 for a duplicate, and the same $15 for renewal after the three-year card expires; the certified food protection manager's course itself costs $75 without a textbook or $95 with one. Cards are non-transferable, and the Health Department makes the final determination on which risk tier an establishment falls into.