Free Food Handler & Food Safety Training

Food safety education for the work you do

Food Safety 201 covers 15 food-safety chapters, from keeping food safe through pest management. Explore the chapter lessons, learner guides and independent practice, then use the five cumulative practice exams to review across the course. Free preparation does not award certification.

The online lessons are available wherever you learn. Food-safety training and in-person exam proctoring are also available in Slidell and New Orleans, Louisiana. Nearby-area appointments are arranged with Quinn. Peak Shift provides in-person exam proctoring and independent food-safety audits across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida. Site, scheduling, and travel terms are confirmed before booking.

A safer handoff during a busy shift

Picture a prep cook who portions raw chicken, then reaches toward a ready-to-eat garnish station. The next step is not to work faster. Stop the task, keep raw-food tools and surfaces away from ready-to-eat food, wash hands, and use clean equipment before changing tasks.

A manager should check whether any ready-to-eat food or food-contact surface may already have been contaminated. Set aside affected food and correct the station before service continues. Follow the establishment's procedures and applicable local health requirements.

Three habits to practice today

• Pause when moving between raw food and ready-to-eat food; wash hands and change contaminated gloves or tools.
• Keep raw animal foods and their equipment separate from ready-to-eat food during storage and preparation.
• Tell the person in charge when a handoff or station has become unsafe; a quiet workaround is not a correction.

Knowledge Check

A cook handles raw chicken and is about to garnish a plated meal. What should happen first?

Stop the handoff. Wash hands, replace contaminated gloves or tools, and verify that the ready-to-eat station has not been contaminated before work resumes.

What this training does, and does not, provide

Peak Shift provides independent education. It does not award a food handler card, certificate, or manager certification. Completing a lesson or practice exam is not the same as passing an official certification examination.

If your goal is manager certification, preparation, the official examination, and authorized proctoring are separate steps. Review the requirements and current pricing before requesting a date.

Sources and next step

The handwashing and cross-contamination principles above are supported by public CDC and FDA resources. Peak Shift's teaching is independent; always follow the applicable local rules and your employer's procedures.

Frequently asked questions