Get or Renew Your Montana Food Handler Card

Montana has no law that requires a food handler card to work at a food establishment, but your employer may still require it.

Sanders County, however, requires foodservice workers to complete a four-hour food safety training course that is approved by the health department.

This training is not approved by Sanders County.

Even though Montana does not require that you earn a food handler card to work at a restaurant, bar, market, or other foodservice establishment, your employer may still require it.

This is because many employers of food establishments have a strong food safety culture and require their employees to earn a food handler card before they start the job or within a certain period of employment.

And while you don’t need to earn a food handler card to work in the dietary department of a nursing home, hospital, or other healthcare facility, state and federal regulations require that dietary staff know how to handle food safely.

For this reason, managers often rely on food handler training programs to educate their staff on safe food handling techniques, and reduce the chances of receiving a food tag or deficiency from surveyors or health inspectors.

If you are searching for a job in foodservice, earning your food handler card — even if it’s not required where you live and work — can make it easier to land your next gig or negotiate a higher starting salary.