- South Dakota nursing homes
- Built by Registered Dietitians and Certified Dietary Managers
What your South Dakota dietary department is required to have — and by when.
South Dakota requires your dietary manager and at least one cook to each hold current food manager certification, plus annual food safety in-service training for all dietary staff.
Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM)
South Dakota’s nursing facility rules require that the dietary manager and at least one cook hold a current CFPM certification.
- Must be ANAB-CFP accredited
- Certificate valid five years
Facilities commonly certify two or more cooks to ensure coverage
Food handler training for the rest of your staff
Every dietary and food-handling employee needs food safety in-service training within 30 days of hire and every year after. ANAB-accredited food handler training is how your facility can meet and document it.
- Covers the required subjects except nutrition and hydration — your dietitian or dietary manager covers that one
- A new certificate each year documents the annual requirement for your survey records
$13.50 per seat — buy for the whole department at once
Yes, these rules apply to South Dakota dietary departments
South Dakota’s nursing facility rules require the dietary manager and at least one cook to each hold a current food protection certificate, and require food safety in-service training for all dietary and food-handling staff within 30 days of hire and annually. These are the same rules your facility is surveyed against. The dietary manager qualification and the certificate are separate requirements. A facility can have a fully qualified dietary manager and still be short a certified cook.
Sources: South Dakota Administrative Rules, Article 44:73, Chapter 07 (Dietetic services) — Rules 44:73:07:11 and 44:73:07:16Who needs what
Three different people, three different obligations
Here’s who needs which.
| Who | Dietary manager qualification? One of four pathways | Food protection certificate? Current, per the same rule |
|---|---|---|
| Dietary managerFull-time, responsible to the administrator | Certified Dietary Manager, certified food service manager, a similar national certification, or a food service management degree | Current certificate required |
| At least one cookThe requirement facilities most often miss | Same certificate as the manager | |
| All other dietary staffCooks, aides, anyone handling food | In-service training instead — 30 days, then annually |
Most facilities certify the manager and stop. The rule names a cook too, and that person turns over more often than the manager does. If your certified cook left last spring, you’ve been short since.
Dietary manager qualifications and the food protection certificate requirement are both set by South Dakota Administrative Rule 44:73:07:11. A dietary manager who does not yet meet one of the four qualifications must enroll in a qualifying program within ninety days of hire and complete it within eighteen months. In-service training requirements are set by Rule 44:73:07:16.
How to meet the requirements
Certify your dietary department without leaving the building
Training, the proctored exam, and food handler courses for the rest of your staff — one vendor, one invoice, no testing center.
Certify your team
Pick how many seats you need of each and check out in minutes — one quick order for manager seats, one for handler seats. Flat discounted per-seat pricing, the same rate at 2 seats or 100. No quote request, no waiting on a reply.
- Food manager training + examEverything needed to study, test, and get certified in one go $149/seat
- Exam onlyFor staff already trained elsewhere $95/seat
- Food handler seatsIts own quick order — same self-serve checkout $13.50/seat
- Managing bothOne login — both appear under “My Companies,” seats assigned by email Simple
Need a purchase order or invoice? Request pricing →
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
Recertifying and don’t need the course? Exam only, $99
You buy the seats
Seats don’t expire — buy them now, 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.
Don’t forget the 30-day clock on new hires
In-service training is due within 30 days of hire for every dietary and food-handling employee — and again every year. Food handler training takes about 90 minutes with the certificate issued on completion, so buy seats in advance and assign them the week someone starts, so the deadline never gets away from you.
Why facilities choose FoodSafePal
Accepted, verifiable, and built for your setting
What actually matters when you’re the one answering for it at survey.
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Your inspector will accept it
Both credentials are nationally accredited under the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) standards. This national accreditation is what your surveyors expect to see.
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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.
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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.
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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 — not adapted from restaurant training.
Questions from South Dakota administrators
Frequently asked questions
Our dietary manager is certified. Isn’t that enough?
No. The rule requires the dietary manager and at least one cook to each hold a current food protection certificate.
Which cook? What happens if that person leaves?
The rule says at least one, without naming a position, so it’s your choice which cook holds it. But it has to be current — if your certified cook resigns, you’re short until someone else is certified. Facilities that certify two cooks rather than one rarely have this problem.
Our dietary manager just started and isn’t qualified yet. How long do we have?
A dietary manager who doesn’t already meet one of the four qualifications must enroll in a qualifying program within ninety days of the hire date and complete it within eighteen months.
What has to be in the annual dietary in-service?
Nine subjects: food safety, handwashing, food handling and preparation techniques, food-borne illnesses, serving and distribution procedures, leftover food handling policies, time and temperature controls, nutrition and hydration, and sanitation requirements. Training is due within thirty days of hire and annually after that, for all dietary and food-handling personnel. FoodSafePal’s food handler training covers these subjects except nutrition and hydration, which your dietitian or dietary manager covers.
Is FoodSafePal’s food manager certification accepted in South Dakota?
The rule accepts a ServSafe Manager Food Protection Program certificate, the Certified Food Protection Professional’s Sanitation Course from the Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals, or an equivalent program as determined by the department. FoodSafePal is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) under Conference for Food Protection standards — the same accreditation ServSafe’s manager program holds, and the national benchmark for equivalence. FoodSafePal is also listed on the South Dakota Department of Health’s food service manager training page.
How long is the food manager certificate good for?
Five years for a FoodSafePal certification. The rule requires the certificate to be current, so track the expiry for both your dietary manager and your certified cook — a lapsed certificate is the same as no certificate.
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. Food handler training takes about 90 minutes 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.
Buy team seats →Only need one person certified? Get food manager certification or a food handler card.
Certifying for a restaurant or retail food establishment instead? See our South Dakota food manager certification page.