Did you know?
The 2005 FDA Food Code (Bernalillo County) , 2009 FDA Food Code (City of Albuquerque), and the 2013 FDA Food Code (Rest of New Mexico) states the following:
2-102.20 Food Protection Manager Certification. A PERSON IN CHARGE who demonstrates knowledge by being a FOOD protection manager that is certified by a FOOD protection manager certification program that is evaluated and listed by a Conference for Food Protection-recognized accrediting agency as conforming to the Conference for Food Protection Standards for Accreditation of Food Protection Manager Certification Programs is deemed to comply with 2-102.11(B).
Bernalillo County and City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Departments currently do not mandate the Person in Charge (PIC) obtain a food protection manager certification. However, there are multiple occasions when the Person in charge is unable to demonstrate knowledge of foodborne disease prevention. We’ve seen this notation on many failed or cited inspections.
What does this mean for you?
Ideally, you should have someone certified at the Manager level at every shift. At a minimum, your Person In Charge needs to have ALL of the knowledge one would expect from a certified manager. See the State of New Mexico’s Person In Charge Fact Sheet here.