Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to your questions with the Canadian Institute of Food Safety's Frequently Asked Questions section.

How long is the Food Handler Certification Course?

The lessons and quizzes take most people around 8 to 10 hours to complete.

This can vary depending on your food handling experience, English language skills and computer literacy.

You don’t need to complete the whole course at once – you can start and stop as often as you need. The course software will remember where you’re up to and will prompt you to resume where you left off.

The final exam works slightly differently. A certified proctor will supervise your exam remotely via a webcam on your computer – there’s no need to book in advance as sessions are available 7 days/week.

You have 30 days from the date of enrolment to complete the course in its entirety, including the final exam.