ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification

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The ServSafe® Food Protection Manager is the highest certification awarded by ServSafe. The certificate is earned by passing the ServSafe manager exam. The exam focuses on five aspects of food service that can affect the safety of food:

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• Foodborne Microorganisms & Allergens

• Personal Hygiene

• Purchasing, Receiving and Storage

• Preparation, Cooking and Serving

• Facilities, Cleaning/Sanitizing and Pest Management

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Below is an example of the ServSafe manager exam. This example contains only eight questions, but the real exam grades you on 80. You have to score 75% to pass the real exam, that’s six out of eight for this example. Click the arrow to see the next question.

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Who Needs a ServSafe Manager Certificate?

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Some jurisdictions require there to be at least one Certified Food Manager or CFM on the staff. A CFM is an employee who has had food safety training and has passed an accredited exam. Usually the CFM plays a supervisory role over most of the other staff.

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Other jurisdictions may only require “Demonstration of Knowledge”. This means that at least one staff member (of a supervisory position) can answer questions related to food safety when quizzed by an inspector. In these jurisdictions the health inspector will actually give the supervisor a verbal quiz to test their knowledge. But if the supervisor can show the inspector a ServSafe manager certificate they can usually avoid the quiz all together.

Some jurisdictions may have no requirements at all. But if the restaurant is part of a large chain, there will probably be internal policies that require certification or training.