Newark Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification Rules (2026)

Under NJ Chapter 24 of the State Sanitary Code, every retail food establishment must designate at least one Certified Food Protection Manager whose certification is from an ANSI-Conference for Food Protection accredited program. Common providers include ServSafe, Prometric, and NEHA. The CFPM must be reasonably available during operations and is responsible for staff training on safe food handling. Certification is valid for five years. Newark Department of Health verifies CFPM status during inspections; absence of a valid CFPM is a critical violation that can downgrade inspection rating. Newark does not require all food workers to be certified — only the manager.