United States
Hong KongMichigan: a certified manager per licensed establishment
Michigan requires licensed food service establishments to have a certified food safety manager holding an ANAB-accredited certificate, valid five years. Local health departments administer licensing and inspection.
- Requirement
- A certified food safety manager per licensed establishment
- Accreditation
- ANAB-accredited certificate
- Validity
- Five years
- Legal basis
- The Michigan Food Law
- Authority
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and local health departments
The rule
Michigan adopts the Food Code through its own Food Law, and the certified manager requirement comes with it.
Any ANAB-accredited exam satisfies it. No state-specific exam, and no state-wide course prerequisite.
Who regulates what
Michigan splits it. Food service establishments - restaurants, cafeterias, caterers - are licensed and inspected by local health departments. Retail food establishments such as grocery stores generally fall to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
That matters if you work in a supermarket deli, because the regulator is not the one a restaurant deals with.
Michigan licenses temporary food establishments and mobile units separately, with their own requirements. A food truck operator should read the mobile guidance rather than assuming the restaurant rules apply unchanged.
Getting certified
- Choose any ANAB-accredited provider unless your state names an approval list.
- Prepare for eight to fifteen hours, weighted to contamination and employee health.
- Sit the 80-question proctored exam, at a test center or under remote proctoring.
- File the certificate with your employer for the health department record.
- Schedule the five-year expiry the day you receive it.
State rules change, and counties and cities routinely impose requirements the state does not. Treat this page as a starting point and confirm with your state or local health department before booking anything.
Common questions
Does Michigan require a certified food manager?
Yes. Licensed food service establishments must have a certified food safety manager holding an ANAB-accredited certificate, valid for five years.
Who licenses food establishments in Michigan?
Local health departments license and inspect food service establishments. Retail food establishments such as grocery stores generally fall to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Is there a Michigan-specific exam?
No. Any ANAB-accredited food protection manager exam satisfies the requirement, and there is no state-wide course prerequisite.
What about food trucks?
Michigan licenses mobile units and temporary food establishments separately with their own requirements, so a food truck operator should read the mobile guidance directly.
How long is Michigan certification valid?
Five years from the exam date, renewed by sitting the full exam again.