Is this checklist required by law?

No — it is a best-practice tool for employers. Most states require that food handlers hold a valid card, but they do not prescribe a specific new-hire orientation checklist. Using one reduces your liability and helps ensure every employee is covered.

How long should I keep the signed checklist?

Keep it for at least as long as the employee works for you, plus two years. If your operation is inspected, a signed checklist demonstrates due diligence in food safety training.

Does this replace a food handler card?

No. The checklist is an orientation and documentation tool. It does not replace the state-required food handler card. Employees who need a card must still complete an accredited food handler course.

Food Handler New Hire Checklist (Free PDF)

Hiring a new food handler? Use this one-page checklist to run through the topics your state requires you to cover before a new employee handles food. Print it, check each box with your new hire, and keep the signed copy in their personnel file.

Download Free Checklist (PDF, 1 page)

What the checklist covers

The checklist walks through six areas that appear in every state’s food handler training requirements:

Certification and documentation — confirms the employee has a valid food handler card on file and knows when it expires.
Personal hygiene — handwashing steps and timing, hair restraints, jewelry policy, and the no-bare-hand-contact rule for ready-to-eat food.
Illness reporting — the five Big Six diagnoses and the symptoms that trigger exclusion or restriction from food handling duties.
Temperature control — cold and hot hold temperatures, the danger zone, maximum time in the danger zone, and how to use a food thermometer.
Cross-contamination prevention — cooler storage order, cutting board protocols, and keeping raw proteins separate from ready-to-eat food.
Cleaning and sanitizing — the difference between the two, how to check sanitizer concentration, and the three-compartment sink sequence.

How to use it

Walk through each section with your new employee on their first day. Check each box as you review it together. Have both the employee and a supervisor sign the bottom. File the completed form with the employee’s food handler card copy.

If your jurisdiction requires a more detailed orientation, this checklist covers the minimum — supplement it with any state-specific or operation-specific topics your health department requires.

Does every state require the same orientation topics?

Not exactly. Most states follow the FDA Food Code, which defines six categories of knowledge a food handler must demonstrate. The topics above map directly to those categories. A few states add requirements (California requires food safety managers to be on-site whenever food is prepared; Texas mandates online-only accredited courses), but the core list is consistent enough that this checklist applies nationally.

For state-specific card requirements, see the food handler card by state guide.

Preparing for the exam, not the orientation? Try the free 15-question food handler practice test — covers the same six topic areas, with a full answer key.