Civil Rights Training

The primary program supervisor is required to take the online Civil Rights training annually. 

All other staff/volunteers with direct client contact should review and sign the Civil Rights Training Handout for Non-supervisory Workers annually. Please keep these records available onsite as the USDA has the authority to conduct unannounced audits.

Please download, print and utilize the Civil Rights Compliance Checklist.

Civil Rights Training

Food Safety Trainings & Resources

Trainings

Foodlink requires valid food safety training certification for all member agencies. In order to distribute food, a member agency must be in compliance at a minimum of the level required for their agency type. The individual(s) meeting the requirement should be in a supervisory role and present for the receiving, storage, and/or distribution of the food at their agency.

Foodlink offers free Basic Food Safety training to all member agency staff and volunteers. Foodlink encourages member agencies to have multiple staff and volunteers trained at the Basic Food Safety level. Minimum training requirements are listed below, based on membership.

For Food Pantries & Nonprofit Partners

  • Basic Food Safety: minimum one person
  • New staff or volunteers in charge of food program are encouraged to take Basic Food Safety training
  • Basic Food Safety certification is valid for 5 years.
  • An 80% or higher score is required to pass the quizzes and receive a certificate. 

Basic Food Safety Online Training Resources

Food Pantries

This training is appropriate for food pantries, as well as other partners that do not prepare meals (e.g. after-school snack programs).

Do not use this training if you prepare meals at your site.

Please watch the training and then take the quiz.

Watch the training
Take the quiz

Prepared Meal Sites

This training is appropriate for shelters and meal programs, as well as other partners that prepare meals (e.g. group homes).

The content covered in the food pantry training is covered within this training.

Meal sites that are open to the public: See below for further training requirements.

Please watch the training and then take the quiz.

Watch the training
Take the quiz

For Meal Programs Open to the Public

Level 1 (L1) Food Manager

  • Minimum one person needs certification (For members operating out of a certified kitchen in Monroe & Orleans counties only)
  • Just for these two counties, Foodlink offers this course for free to one individual per HPNAP-funded meal program. Foodlink typically offers this class two times per year. 
  • Certification is valid for 5 years.

Level 2 (L2) Food Handler

  • Minimum one person needs certification.
  • Foodlink offers this course multiple times per year. Each HPNAP-funded meal program can send any individual in a lead kitchen role for free. 
  • Certification is valid for 3 years.

Click here for the L1 and L2 training schedule and links to register

Questions regarding food safety training should be directed to our Nutrition Resource Manager.