Pennsylvania Food Code 7 Pa. Code §46.504 requires every retail food establishment to employ at least one ANSI-accredited Certified Food Protection Manager. PDPH accepts ServSafe and other approved exams. No separate Philadelphia food-handler card is required for line workers.
Pennsylvania adopted the FDA Model Food Code through 7 Pa. Code Chapter 46, which requires every retail food facility to have an ANSI-CFP-accredited Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) on staff under §46.504. The CFPM must complete an approved exam such as ServSafe, NRFSP, Prometric, or AAA Above Training and recertify every five years. Philadelphia Department of Public Health Office of Food Protection enforces the rule during routine inspections, treating absence of a CFPM as a priority-foundation violation. Unlike some cities, Philadelphia does not issue a separate municipal food-handler card for line cooks or servers, though many operators voluntarily train staff on basics. Mobile food vendors must meet the same CFPM rule.
Operating without a current CFPM is a §6-301 priority-foundation violation; correction is required by the next inspection cycle, with fines from $100 to $2,000 per day for non-compliance. Repeat absences can support food-establishment license suspension by PDPH.
Philadelphia, PA
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health Office of Food Protection inspects every food facility annually under Phila. Code §6-300 and PA Food Code Chapte...
Philadelphia, PA
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See how Philadelphia's food handler certification rules stack up against other locations.
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