Hawaii's Department of Health (DOH) recognized food handler training certificate programs accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/National Accreditation Board (ANAB) under its Certificate Accreditation Program as meeting state requirements for food handler training. Following The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) 2017 amendment of the Chapter 50, Food Safety Code, new state food safety rules mandating that at least one employee present during normal hours at every food establishment have a formal food handlers training certificate, effective September 2018. In addition to Hawaii Department of Health's food safety education workshops, the new mandate broadens the approved training options, recognizing all food handler training certificate programs accredited by ANSI/ANAB as well.
Hawaii's regulation is intended to protect the public from foodborne illnesses through effective education and training for safe operation of food establishments. Hawaii joins several other states, including New Mexico, California, Illinois, Arizona, West Virginia, and Texas, as well as local jurisdictions, which recognize and/or require food handler training certificates issued by an ANSI-accredited organization.
ANSI/ANAB does not issue training certificates itself; rather, it accredits other organizations that do so to assure learning outcomes are met according to the American National Standard ASTM E2659, Standard Practice for Certificate Programs, and following the process outlined in the international standard ISO/IEC 17011, General Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies. Hallmarks of the process include using specially trained assessors to review applicants' documents against defined requirements and conducting on-site assessments.
"ANSI/ANAB accreditation provides the highest quality assurance for credentials and certification bodies across a broad array of industry sectors," said Lane Hallenbeck, executive director of ANAB. "And in food safety, when public health is on the line every day, the rigor and efficacy of the ANSI/ANAB process are critical to assuring quality training, as Hawaii's recognition demonstrates."
For more information on the ANSI/ANAB Certificate Accreditation Program, contact Turan Ayvaz ([email protected]; 202.331.3635).
Read more about ANSI/ANAB accreditation programs for food safety, and watch a brief video on how accreditation provides food safety assurance.