Food Protection Manager
Manager-level food safety for chefs and supervisors — active managerial control, HACCP, and regulations, based on the FDA Food Code. CFPM exams pass at 75%.
📋 What to Bring
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Two forms of valid ID
Proctored CFPM exams usually require a primary government photo ID plus a second form of ID
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Exam registration / payment
Accredited CFPM exams (e.g., through an ANAB-CFP provider) charge an exam fee; bring your confirmation
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No notes or phones
The manager exam is closed-book and proctored — personal items are stored away during the test
📅 How to Schedule
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Study the manager material
Prepare with an ANAB-CFP accredited manager course or the FDA Food Code. The manager exam covers HACCP and active managerial control, not just the basics.
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Register with an accredited provider
Schedule a proctored exam through an ANAB-CFP accredited program. Exams are offered at testing centers and via approved online proctoring.
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Pass and receive your certificate
Score 75% or higher on the 80 scored questions. An accredited CFPM certificate is typically valid for 5 years and recognized across jurisdictions.
💡 Test Day Tips
- •Active managerial control means proactively building systems (training, SOPs, monitoring) to prevent the CDC's five risk factors — not just reacting to violations.
- •Know HACCP's 7 principles in order: hazard analysis, identify CCPs, set critical limits, monitor, corrective action, verification, and record-keeping.
- •Distinguish exclude vs. restrict: exclude (send home) for vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, or the Big 6 pathogens; restrict (no exposed food) for a sore throat with fever.
- •An air gap is the only fully reliable backflow protection — there is no physical connection between the water outlet and the flood rim, so it cannot fail like a mechanical device.
- •Always clean and rinse a surface BEFORE sanitizing; verify sanitizer with test strips (chlorine ~50–99 ppm) — concentration, contact time, and temperature all matter.
- •A sewage backup, loss of safe water, or loss of power is an imminent health hazard: stop operations, notify the regulatory authority, and close until corrected.
📚 Study Handbook
All practice questions are based on the sections below. Click any to read the official source.
🎯 Practice by Topic
Foodborne Illness, Hazards & Contamination
Foodborne-illness risk factors and public-health interventions, biological/chemical/physical hazards, the Big 6 pathogens, TCS and ready-to-eat foods, major allergens, and when contaminated food must be discarded under the FDA Food Code 2022.
Personnel: Employee Health & Hygiene
Manager-level rules for the person in charge, employee health reporting, exclusion/restriction and reinstatement decisions, handwashing, and personal hygiene under FDA Food Code 2022.
Purchasing, Receiving & Storage
Approved sources, receiving temperatures and conditions, source documentation, and safe storage practices under the FDA Food Code 2022.
Preparation & Cooking
Cooking time/temperature requirements, thawing, parasite-destruction freezing, bare-hand contact, and safe food-prep practices under the FDA Food Code 2022.
Cooling, Reheating, Holding & Service
FDA Food Code rules for cooling, reheating, hot/cold holding, date marking, time as a public health control, consumer advisories, self-service, and transport.
Cleaning, Sanitizing & Equipment
Cleaning and sanitizing food-contact surfaces, warewashing methods and temperatures, chemical sanitizer parameters, equipment materials, thermometers, and storage of clean utensils under the FDA Food Code 2022.
Facilities, Water, Plumbing, Waste & Pest
Approved water supply, plumbing and backflow prevention, handwashing and toilet facilities, sewage and refuse, physical-facility finishes, lighting and ventilation, and integrated pest management and toxic-material control.
Food Safety Management Systems & Regulation
Active managerial control, the seven HACCP principles, the CDC risk factors and Food Code interventions, variances and HACCP/ROP plans, permits and plan review, inspections, imminent health hazards, and crisis/recall response.
🔗 Official Resources
FDA Retail Food Protection ↗
Official FDA hub for the Food Code and retail food safety guidance
FDA HACCP Guidance ↗
FDA hub on Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points for managers
Find an Accredited Manager Exam (ANAB-CFP) ↗
ANAB directory of accredited Certified Food Protection Manager programs
CDC Food Safety ↗
Information on foodborne pathogens, outbreaks, and prevention