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What is a food handler and how to become one
Avg. Salary $32,581
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 14%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%
Asian 6.49%
Black or African American 9.64%
Hispanic or Latino 18.63%
Unknown 6.92%
White 57.47%
Genderfemale 56.78%
male 43.22%
Age - 21American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 21Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is intermediate
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Food Handler career paths
Key steps to become a food handler
Explore food handler education requirements
Start to develop specific food handler skills
Skills 
Percentages Basic Math 23.46% Customer Service 21.07% Math 13.53% Food Service 6.46% Kitchen Equipment 5.84% Complete relevant food handler training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New food handlers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a food handler based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real food handler resumes.Research food handler duties and responsibilities
- Set up and operate point of sales (POS) cash registers, receive money and return proper change.
- Record patient information to gain knowledge of special allergies and special diets to promote better safety and health management.
- Enter orders into POS system, report daily sales to managers, conduct monthly inventory, and perform heavy cash flow.
- Monitor and maintain cleanliness, sanitation, and organization of assign station and service areas.
Prepare your food handler resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your food handler resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a food handler resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Food Handler Resume templates
Build a professional Food Handler resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Food Handler resume.
Apply for food handler jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a food handler job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Food Handler Job
Are you a Food Handler?
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Average food handler salary
The average Food Handler salary in the United States is $32,581 per year or $16 per hour. Food handler salaries range between $26,000 and $39,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do food handlers rate their job?
Food Handler reviews
A total time you spend knowing and communicate and get attachment to the clients
Leaving work when it's time to leave
Repetitive tasks. Or obviously, working with people who are highly critical.
Many restaurants are corporate or franchisees, and they dont really have good management, which leads to not hiring people on skill, but just to fill the space, which leads to high turn over rates for both FOH, BOH and management. There's no stability
Updated January 8, 2025
