ServSafe Food Handler training required for home-based vendors

Are you currently operating as a home-based vendor, working in food service or volunteering around food? Indiana passed a new law (HB 1149) which includes changes for home-based vendors in Indiana.

One of the major changes in this law is that all home-based vendors must, “obtain a food handler certificate from a certificate issuer that is accredited by the American National Standards Institute.” ServSafe Food Handler training fulfills this requirement. This certification is valid for three years. To fulfill this requirement, you must take a food safety training and exam.

There will be an in-person ServSafe Food Handler course offered June 27 at the Ivy Tech Greencastle campus. The course will be from 1-5 p.m. One must register at this link, https://cvent.me/qd97XM, or by calling 765-494-6794 by June 20 (mention Putnam County ServSafe Food Handler when calling). The cost for this training is $40.

Abbigail Sampson

This program focuses on key aspects including basic food safety, personal hygiene, cross-contamination and allergens, time and temperature and cleaning and sanitation. After passing the assessment, your Food Handler Certificate of Achievement will be documented with the National Restaurant Association so that you have easy access at any time to look up and prove your training. Please note, this training is NOT the Food Protection Manager course. If you have any questions about the training, please contact Abbigail Smith at 653-8411 or asmith22@purdue.edu.

You must provide a copy of the certificate to the local health department in the county where the home-based vendor’s residence is located. If you’re a home-based vendor in Putnam County, you can email your food handler certificate to Allison McCarty (allison.mccarty@co.putnam.in.us) or Michelle Martin (michelle.martin@co.putnam.in.us) with the Putnam County Health Department.

For additional information regarding the home-based vendor rule and the additional requirements it entails, please visit https://www.in.gov/health/food-protection/guidance-documents/. To learn about what has changed under the new law, please visit this webpage: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/foodsci/home-based-vendors.html.

If you have additional questions, you can contact an environmental health apecialist with the Putnam County Health Department at 765-301-7660 or Abbigail Smith with the Purdue Extension office at 653-8411.

Visit www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or contact the local office at 653-8411 for more information regarding this week’s column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Evening and lunch appointments are available, upon request. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs.

Upcoming Events

June 1 – Last day to sign up for 4-H Round-Up

June 19 – Extension office closed for Juneteenth holiday

June 27 – ServSafe Food Handler course and exam, 1-5 p.m., register at https://cvent.me/qd97XM

June 28 – Men’s Health Month Bite by Bite podcast episode airs, listen at https://anchor.fm/bitebybite

July 1 – Last day to sign up for state fair livestock exhibition, at least entry cost

July 12 – Canning workshop, Putnam County Fairgrounds, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., registration required at 653-8411