Study guide · 8 topics
The food handler study guide, topic by topic
NEHA's five PFH topic areas, split into eight food handler topics with a page each. This page maps them, links every topic and concept page, and shows our estimate of what each topic weighs.
- ExamPFH
- UpdatedOct 14, 2026
On this page 10 sections
What NEHA says the course covers
NEHA's Professional Food Handler course runs two hours in seven modules and is built on the 2022 FDA Food Code (NEHA's PFH page, as of October 2026). The course listing names five topic areas:
- Foodborne Illness and Contamination
- Receiving, Storing, Preparing, and Serving Food
- Personal Hygiene
- Cleaning and Sanitizing
- Pest Prevention
The FDA released a 2026 edition of the Food Code in September 2026. The numbers a food handler gets asked about stayed put: holding, cooking, cooling, reheating, date marking, handwashing, sanitizer strength (FDA summary of the 2026 changes). A number you learn here from the 2022 code is still the number.
Price, pass mark and how long the certificate lasts are on what NEHA's PFH certificate is.
Eight topics, and what each weighs
In our estimate, personal hygiene and time and temperature carry the most. Each bar opens its topic page.
- Foodborne illness13%est. weight
- Contamination and allergens10%est. weight
- Time and temperature17%est. weight
- Receiving deliveries9%est. weight
- Storage, labeling and rotation13%est. weight
- Hygiene and sick workers18%est. weight
- Cleaning and sanitizing13%est. weight
- Pest prevention7%est. weight
NEHA publishes five topic areas and no weights. These eight topics and their shares are our estimate from our question bank, nudged toward the FDA's foodborne-illness risk factors.
From NEHA's five areas to our eight topics
| NEHA topic area | Our topics |
|---|---|
| Foodborne Illness and Contamination | Foodborne illness; contamination and allergens |
| Receiving, Storing, Preparing, and Serving Food | Receiving deliveries; storage, labeling and rotation; time and temperature |
| Personal Hygiene | Personal hygiene and sick workers |
| Cleaning and Sanitizing | Cleaning and sanitizing |
| Pest Prevention | Pest prevention |
NEHA's module titles sit behind the course login, so this mapping follows the published topic list.
The temperatures that turn up in every topic
Every topic and concept
Topics in blueprint order. Under each one sit its concept pages: one idea that gets mixed up, explained and drilled on its own.
- Germs, toxins, high-risk guests.
- Big 6 pathogens The six that keep workers home.
Contamination and allergens10%
Three hazard types, chemicals, allergens.- Cross-contamination Raw meat, boards, tools.
- Big 9 allergens Nine allergens, cross-contact.
- The numbers: 41, 135, 165 and friends.
- Temperature danger zone 41–135°F and the 4-hour clock.
- Cooking temperatures 165, 155, 145 and reheating.
- Hot and cold holding 135°F hot, 41°F cold.
- Two-stage cooling 135→70 in 2 h, →41 by 6 h.
- TCS foods Which foods need the clock.
- Safe thawing Four ways the code allows, and the shortcuts it doesn't.
- Temps, cans, tags, pests.
Storage, labeling and rotation13%
Shelf order, labels, rotation.- FIFO and date marking Oldest first, 7 days, day 1 = prep day.
- Hands, hair, nails, jewelry, illness.
- Handwashing steps 20 seconds, hand sink only.
- Gloves and bare hands No bare hands on ready-to-eat.
- Sick food workers Report, restrict, exclude.
- Sinks, cloths, the 4-hour rule.
- Cleaning vs sanitizing
- Sanitizer strength Strips, ranges, 171°F.
- Keep them out, spot the signs.
A way through it
Heavy topics first
Personal hygiene and time and temperature carry the biggest shares in our estimate. Start there.
Drill as you read
Each topic page ends with practice questions on that topic only. The mixed set comes after, on the food handler practice test.
Learn the numbers cold
The flashcards keep the temperatures and times on one deck.
Plan it, then time it
The study plan spreads the topics over one evening, three days or a week. Finish with the timed mock exam.
Exam facts
Short answers about the PFH itself, each with its source and the date we checked it.
Getting your card
Who needs a card, how to get one, and the rules state by state.
Compare prep
The PFH next to a manager certificate and other food handler courses.
Sources
- NEHA, Professional Food Handler Certificate — two hours, seven modules, 2022 FDA Food Code checked Oct 13, 2026
- NEHA shop, PFH Online Certificate Course (English) — the five topic areas checked Oct 13, 2026
- FDA Food Code 2022 — every temperature and time on this page checked Oct 13, 2026
- FDA, summary of changes in the 2026 Food Code — released September 2026 checked Oct 13, 2026