ServSafe Alternatives: FoodSafePal, NRFSP, Learn2Serve, and More

Owned by the National Restaurant Association, ServSafe is a leading provider of food safety training.

While it’s probably the most recognizable, it’s not the only food handler training course. Although, it certainly gives many the impression that it’s ServSafe or nothing due to its longstanding tie with the restaurant industry.

This article lists the top five ServSafe alternatives and what they’re all about so you can determine which is best for you.

The top 5 ServSafe alternatives

Whether you or someone you know had a poor experience with ServSafe or you want to explore other options, here are the top five ServSafe alternatives — or ServSafe equivalents — for earning your food handler card (in no particular order).

FoodSafePal

FoodSafePal was created in 2022 by registered dietitian and food safety expert, Gavin Van De Walle.

Unlike other food handler training providers, FoodSafePal has no conflicts of interest with the foodservice industry and isn’t owned by a private equity firm or wealthy investors.

Instead, FoodSafePal operates with transparency and trust so you know exactly who is dedicated to your success.

All food handler course fees are funneled back into the business to expand FoodSafePal’s course offerings and to grow its free downloadable food safety resources.

FoodSafePal’s Food Handler Training holds the same ANAB-accreditation as ServSafe. This means that your health department will accept FoodSafePal if it accepts ServSafe.

FoodSafePal offers its food handler training completely online.

NRFSP

The National Registry of Foodservice Professionals (NRFSP) was founded in 1997 through a corporation partnership.

The National Restaurant Association — which also owns ServSafe — acquired the NRFSP in 2016, strengthening the Association’s food safety training footprint.

So, while ServSafe and the NRFSP still operate as separate brands, they are owned by the same company.

NRFSP’s food handler training holds ANAB-accreditation, and you can take the course online. You can also take the course in a classroom setting, but you must do so through its sister company, ServSafe.

Learn2Serve

Learn2Serve is the food and beverage training brand of a company called 360training, which offers online training and certification across a range of industries and professions, including financial services, real estate, and environmental health and safety.

360training is owned by large investment companies that aim to pad its investors pockets with the revenue it creates from its food handler training and other courses.

Learn2Serve is ANAB-accredited and you must complete it online. You can take the course for $10 and complete it in two hours.

StateFoodSafety

StateFoodSafety is owned and administered by Certus, a company owned by private equity.

Two other food handler training providers — eFoodHandlers and eFoodCard — are sister companies of StateFoodSafety and are therefore also owned by Certus.

StateFoodSafety offers ANAB-accredited food handler training online. It takes around two hours to learn and test in most areas, but around an hour in other areas.

The general cost to enroll is $10, but StateFoodSafety has agreements with many health departments and charges an additional fee.

eFoodHandlers

eFoodHandlers is the sister company of StateFoodSafety.

Prior to being purchased by private equity, eFoodHandlers used to have its own food handler training course, but now it uses StateFoodSafety’s food handler training course.

This means that the general cost to enroll and the time it takes to complete the course is the same as StateFoodSafety.

However, once you earn your food handlers card with eFoodHandlers, you only have 30 days to print or download your food handlers card. After this time, you must pay a fee to download or print it.

An overview of the best ServSafe alternatives

Here’s an overview of the best ServSafe alternatives:

	ServSafe	FoodSafePal	NRFSP	Learn2Serve	StateFoodSafety	eFoodHandlers
ANAB-Accredited	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Format	Online and Classroom	Online	Online and Classroom	Online	Online	Online
Course length	2 hours	Under 2 hours	2 hours	2 hours	Under 2 hours	Under 2 hours
Cost	$15	$15 ($10 with code “save” at checkout)	$15	$10	$10+	$10
Owner	National Restaurant Association	Gavin Van De Walle	National Restaurant Association	Investment Group	Private Equity (Certus)	Private Equity (Certus)

The bottom line

There are several servsafe alternatives to choose from.

Each of these alternatives are accepted everywhere that ServSafe is since they hold the same ANAB-accreditation.

They also cost around the same to enroll and complete the course.

Thus, for the purposes of earning a nationally accepted food handlers card, any of these ServSafe alternatives will do.

Ultimately it comes down to your personal preference and with which brand you best align.