- Ohio nursing homes
- Built by Registered Dietitians and Certified Dietary Managers
What your Ohio dietary department is required to have — and by when.
Ohio requires at least one person in your kitchen to hold Manager Certification in Food Protection, and a certified person in charge on site during all hours of operation.
Manager Certification in Food Protection
Nursing home kitchens are risk level IV food service operations. Ohio requires at least one employee with supervisory authority to hold Manager Certification — formerly called Level Two.
- Three steps: an ODH-approved course, the accredited exam, and an application to the Ohio Department of Health, which issues the certification
- FoodSafePal’s manager course is on the Ohio Department of Health’s approved provider list
- A manager-certified person on site also covers the person-in-charge requirement for that shift
Most facilities certify 2–3 people for shift coverage
Person in Charge Certification for every shift
Ohio requires that at least one person hold Person in Charge (PIC) Certification — formerly Level One — unless a manager-certified person is there. Our ODH-approved PIC course is how staff earn it.
- Fully online, ODH-approved, with a certificate issued on completion
- Certify several staff so call-offs and turnover never leave a shift uncovered
- The certificate documents each employee’s training for your survey records
Buy for the whole department at once — seats assigned by email
Yes, these rules apply to nursing home kitchens
Ohio’s food safety rules require every risk level III and IV food service operation to have at least one supervisory employee with Manager Certification in Food Protection, and a person with Person in Charge Certification on site during all hours of operation. Nursing home kitchens — which cook, cool, and reheat food for a highly susceptible population — are risk level IV.
Your dietary staffing is surveyed separately. Federal rules require a full-time director of food and nutrition services who meets a qualification pathway. The certifications and the director qualification are different requirements — the table below shows which credentials answer each.
Sources: Ohio Administrative Code rule 3701-21-25 · Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code (Chapter 3717-1) · 42 CFR §483.60Which credential covers what
What each credential does — and doesn’t — cover in Ohio
A Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) or Registered Dietitian (RD) can qualify your director of food and nutrition services — but neither satisfies Ohio’s kitchen certifications, and passing the exam alone doesn’t either. Here’s the full breakdown.
| Credential | Can they direct food and nutrition services? The federal staffing rule | Do they satisfy Ohio’s kitchen certifications? Manager Certification and PIC |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Dietary ManagerCDM, CFPP | Still needs the Ohio certification | |
| Registered DietitianRD or RDN | Still needs the Ohio certification | |
| Accredited exam aloneCertified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) | A federal qualification pathway | Ohio also requires the approved course and an ODH application |
| Ohio Manager Certification in Food ProtectionApproved course + accredited exam + ODH application | Includes the accredited exam | Covers the PIC requirement too |
Passing the exam is not the same as being Ohio-certified. Ohio issues the Manager Certification itself, after an approved course, the accredited exam, and an application to the Ohio Department of Health. FoodSafePal provides the approved course and the accredited exam — and the certification, once issued, covers the person-in-charge requirement as well.
The Manager Certification and Person in Charge Certification requirements are set by Ohio Administrative Code rule 3701-21-25 and issued by the Ohio Department of Health. Director of food and nutrition services qualifications come from the federal nursing facility requirements at 42 CFR §483.60. Where a provision is not defined in rule, this page says so rather than guessing.
How to meet the requirements
Certify your dietary department without leaving the building
Training, the proctored exam, and PIC courses for the rest of your staff — one vendor, one invoice, no testing center.
Certify your team
Ohio’s certifications use Ohio-specific courses, so group orders are set up directly rather than through self-serve checkout. Tell us how many manager and Person in Charge seats you need and we’ll have your order ready — purchase orders and invoicing available.
- Ohio manager seatsODH-approved course + accredited exam Per seat
- Person in Charge seatsODH-approved course for every shift’s coverage Per seat
- Managing bothOne login — seats assigned by email, reassignable Simple
Train and certify
Instant access · Certified the moment you pass · Valid five years
- Full training covering every exam topic, self-paced
- 75-question practice exam with answers revealed
- Live online proctor included — no extra fee
- Two attempts included
You request your seats
Tell us how many of each and we set up your group. Seats don’t expire — assign them whenever someone needs one.
You assign them
Add staff by email and they get access immediately. Reassign a seat if someone leaves before using it.
They train and test on shift or at home
Self-paced on any device, with a live online proctor for manager exams — no testing center.
You get the certificates
Downloadable the moment they pass, with printed copies available for your records.
Every shift needs certified coverage
Someone with Person in Charge Certification must be on site whenever your kitchen is operating, unless a manager-certified person is there. Certify enough people that call-offs and turnover never leave a shift uncovered — the course is fully online with the certificate issued on completion.
Why facilities choose FoodSafePal
Accepted, verifiable, and built for your setting
What actually matters when you’re the one answering for it at survey.
-
Your inspector will accept it
Both credentials are nationally accredited under the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) standards and ODH approved.
-
Two attempts included, every seat
Training is self-paced with a full practice exam, and every food manager and food handler purchase includes two exam attempts — so one bad morning doesn’t cost you a seat.
-
Certificates verify online, years later
Every certificate carries a unique number that can be verified in seconds. When a surveyor asks about a credential issued three years ago, you’re not hunting through a filing cabinet or hoping a vendor still answers email.
-
It was built for your setting
Developed by a registered dietitian nutritionist with senior living dietary experience, working with an advisory board of certified dietary managers who run food service in long-term care.
Questions from Ohio administrators
Frequently asked questions
Does Ohio really require manager certification in a nursing home kitchen?
Yes. Nursing home kitchens are risk level IV food service operations, and Ohio requires every risk level III and IV operation to have at least one employee with supervisory and management responsibility who holds Manager Certification in Food Protection. Your local health district checks it at inspection.
What’s the difference between PIC Certification and Manager Certification?
Person in Charge (PIC) Certification — formerly Level One — is the per-shift requirement: someone holding it must be on site during all hours of operation. Manager Certification — formerly Level Two — is the facility requirement: at least one supervisory employee must hold it. A manager-certified person on site covers the PIC requirement for that shift.
How does someone earn the Ohio Manager Certification?
Three steps: complete a course approved by the Ohio Department of Health, pass a food protection manager exam accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), and submit an application to the Ohio Department of Health, which issues the certification. FoodSafePal provides the approved course and the accredited exam — both online, with a live remote proctor for the exam.
Is FoodSafePal accepted in Ohio?
Yes. FoodSafePal’s manager course and Person in Charge course are both on the Ohio Department of Health’s approved provider lists, and FoodSafePal’s exam is ANAB-accredited under the Conference for Food Protection standards — the exam standard Ohio’s rule requires.
Our director is a Certified Dietary Manager or Registered Dietitian. Doesn’t that cover it?
It can cover the director of food and nutrition services qualification — not the kitchen certifications. Ohio’s Manager Certification and PIC Certification are separate requirements that no other credential substitutes for. Many CDMs hold both; the course and exam are the same ones this page offers.
Does the Ohio Manager Certification qualify someone as our director of food and nutrition services?
Yes. Federal rules qualify a director who is a certified food service manager or holds a similar national certification for food service management and safety — and they also require the director to meet state standards for food service managers where a state has established them. Ohio has one: the Manager Certification in Food Protection. Holding it satisfies both at once, which is why the simplest arrangement is making your director the manager-certified person your kitchen already needs.
How many people should we certify?
At least one person needs the Manager Certification, and every operating hour needs PIC coverage. One manager-certified person can’t work every shift, so most facilities certify two or three managers and enough PIC-certified staff that call-offs and turnover never leave a shift uncovered.
Can our staff train and test without leaving the facility?
Yes. Food manager training is video-based and self-paced, and most people finish in about five hours; the certification exam is taken from any quiet, private room with a live remote proctor — no testing center. The PIC course is fully online with the certificate issued on completion.
What happens if someone doesn’t pass the food manager exam?
Two attempts are included with every food manager purchase. There’s a 24-hour wait before retesting, and the retake is issued on a different version of the exam.
Do you invoice, or can we use a purchase order?
Yes to both — request pricing and we’ll set it up for your facility or your whole group.
Get your dietary department compliant
Certify your managers, train your food employees, and keep the certificates your surveyor will ask for — in one place, without anyone leaving the building.
Request Ohio pricing →Only need one person certified? Get food manager certification or Person in Charge certification.
Certifying for a restaurant or retail food establishment instead? See our Ohio food manager certification page.