Do you need a certified food protection manager?
Certified food protection managers keep Minnesota’s dining community safe from foodborne illness through training, monitoring, and making sure the Minnesota food code is followed. Most Minnesota food establishments must employ one, though a few categories are exempt. The food code also outlines a separate role: the designated person in charge, or PIC. Here’s how a CFPM and a PIC differ, and how the two roles work together.
The Differences Between a Certified Food Protection Manager and a Designated Person in Charge
To understand the difference, look at what each role requires. While most Minnesota establishments need at least one CFPM, a PIC must be present during all hours of operation and able to oversee safe food-handling practices. That doesn’t mean your CFPM has to be the PIC for every operating hour. Still, the licensee needs a PIC present whenever the establishment is open. If you rely on one person to fill that role, a 40-plus-hour week adds up fast, so keep the coffee brewing.
Fortunately, your PIC doesn’t always have to be a certified food protection manager. Your CFPM can serve as PIC during their own shifts, but for shifts when they’re not in the building, you’ll want a qualified staff member ready to step into that role. Likely candidates include:
- Sous chef
- Lead cook
- Front-of-house supervisor
- Assistant kitchen manager
Your designated PIC doesn’t need to be a manager by title. What matters is that they know food safety well and take the responsibility seriously, since they need to be ready if a health inspector shows up. The CFPM, meanwhile, sets the strategy behind it all, catching risks a shift-level PIC might not think to look for, like physical contamination sources hiding in plain sight.
How Do You Designate Your PIC?
Under the state’s rule on assigning a person in charge, the license holder is the PIC by default, unless they name someone else. In practice, most restaurants build this into their shift schedule: whoever’s the highest-ranking, most food-safety-savvy person working that shift gets named PIC, and everyone on the team knows it.
Do you need a certified food protection manager or a person in charge?
There’s no special certificate for PIC status the way there is for a CFPM, but a designated PIC needs to back it up with real knowledge, not just a title. Skipping that training is exactly how gaps show up mid-shift; see what happens when staff training falls short for a closer look. During an inspection, they need to answer an inspector’s questions correctly, covering the basics: proper handwashing, safe temperatures for TCS foods (time/temperature control for safety foods), and cross-contamination control.
That also includes handling a sick employee correctly and knowing how the team follows its HACCP plan, if one’s required. A schedule or shift log noting who’s PIC at any given time can make this easy to demonstrate on the spot.
Frequently Asked Questions About CFPMs and PICs in Minnesota
Here are the questions Minnesota operators ask most about CFPMs and PICs, especially at food trucks and smaller operations.
Does a Minnesota food truck need a certified food protection manager?
Is your food truck meeting the requirements for CFPM in Minnesota?
Not necessarily. Mobile units like food trucks and carts, along with a handful of low-risk or limited-menu operations, are exempt from the CFPM requirement under Minnesota’s food code. They still need a person in charge present during all hours of operation.
Can one person be both the CFPM and the PIC?
Yes, and it’s the most common setup. Your CFPM can serve as the PIC whenever they’re present; the question only comes up for the hours they’re not there.
What happens if the CFPM isn’t in the building?
Someone still has to be the PIC. Minnesota’s food code requires a person in charge to be present at the food establishment during all hours of operation, whether or not that person holds a CFPM credential.
Does a PIC need any kind of certification?
No, Minnesota doesn’t require one. Some establishments have non-CFPM PICs complete a basic food handler course to strengthen their food-safety knowledge. That training can help, but it doesn’t replace a CFPM where Minnesota requires one.
How many certified food protection managers does one restaurant need?
Minnesota’s food code requires at least one CFPM per licensed establishment, not one per shift. Larger operations sometimes certify more than one manager anyway, so there’s always coverage when someone’s on vacation or calls in sick.
Get Your CFPM in Place
Whether you need your first certified food protection manager or you’re just making sure your PIC schedule holds up to inspection, Safe Food Training can help. Call (952) 210-0195 or email info@safefoodtraining.com, and register for an upcoming course at safefoodtraining.com.
