Your Opinion Matters!

The City of Arlington Health Services is supporting the National Environmental Health Association and the National Restaurant Association who want to make food safety training more inclusive and effective. To start, they are assessing how well retail food handlers who have received food safety training remember what they have learned. 

We need as many retail food handlers as possible to take the Food Handler Knowledge Retention Survey. If you currently work in the food and beverage industry, you can help by completing the survey and sharing this flyer with fellow food handlers.

Everyone who completes a survey has a chance to win one of eight $250 Visa gift cards!

All information collected as part of this survey is anonymous. The survey is available in both English and Spanish.

Certified Food Manager (CFM)

Effective January 20, 2010, every Food Establishment must have at least one Certified Food Manager (CFM) at each location, who is responsible for supervising food preparation and service. Certification is obtained by passing a Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) approved certified food manager examination. The examination may be taken at any licensed Certification Training Program, Test Site, Online Exam or National Exam provider. Certification is valid for five years. Information can be found at Texas Department of State Health Services -Certified Food Manager (CFM) Program

Food Handler

Information about accredited food handler training courses may be accessed through the Department of State Health Services website at Accredited Food Handler Classroom Training Programs or Accredited Food Handler Online Training Programs. The Texas Food Establishment Rules require: that all food service employees must successfully complete a food handler training course accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the Texas Department of State Health Services; and that food establishments must maintain on premises a certificate of completion of the food handler training course for each employee. See Texas Food Establishment Rules 228.31.

City of Arlington Food Handler permit requirements can be found under Health and Sanitation Ordinance Chapter IV Regulation of Food Establishments, Section 4.03.

Please contact Health Services at 817-459-6693 for further information.

Technical Assistance for Food Service Professionals