by Kate Shunney
Cara Harding, Sanitarian for the Berkeley and Morgan County Health Departments, has asked the Morgan County Commission to approve a health board proposal to require food handler permits for all food workers in Berkeley and Morgan county establishments.
At a September 2 county meeting, Harding reviewed the proposal, which was approved in January by the health board and put out for public comment in April.
Harding said the Health Department received just one comment, which was in favor of the proposal. 
The two-page proposal is posted on the Health Department’s website at https://www.bchealthdept.org/post/public-notice-of-food-handlers-card-proposal
Morgan and Berkeley counties are the only two counties in West Virginia that don’t have a current food handler card requirement.
Harding said Morgan County used to, but the Health Department did not have the staff to do the ongoing training for all food handlers.
She said COVID brought opportunities to do more online training, and that would be how the training would be done for both counties through the State Food Safety program. The training would take 45 minutes, she said.
Under the proposed rule, which could take effect on January 1, 2027, “Berkeley County and Morgan County Health Departments will require a food handler card for all food workers.”
Harding said the 2013 Food Code had only made it necessary for one person in a food establishment to have a Manager Level food certification.
“We’re finding that person isn’t always passing that training down to line staff,” she said.
That raises the chances that the public can be sickened by improper sanitation practices, from dish washing to hand washing to food-handling techniques.
Harding said the counties have a rising rate of food-borne illness in the last two years, though the majority of restaurants and food establishments are in Berkeley County.
Under the proposed rule, anyone working in a restaurant or food establishment would have 30 days after implementation or after being hired to complete the food handler training and pass the test.
Workers would have three options for a Food Handler card – a one-year countywide card, a two-year countywide card or a one-year statewide card that would cover requirements in any of the 55 counties.
A one-year card would cost $20.99 and a two-year card would cost $30.99.
Harding said there is some discussion about who would pay for the certification, but that would be up to each establishment to determine.
There are exceptions to the card requirement meant to exempt people working at short-term food setups like festivals or concession stands.
That clause says: “If an establishment operates no more than 90 days a year and their menu is limited and/or small scale, then they will only be required to have someone who is in a manager role with a Certified
Manager Level Food Training.”
Commissioner Sean Forney asked Harding about sports field concession stands that operate throughout a lengthy season longer than 90 days, like at the Little League field or the high school sports fields. He said he was concerned that adding a food handler requirement would cut back on volunteers, who are already in short supply.
Harding said the Health Department could look at an additional exemption for those as she understood the concern and thought the proposed exemption could cover those situations.
The value of the food safety training would still apply to concessions, said Harding.
“You could 100% make someone sick. Without handwashing and food handling training, you could make someone sick within five to six hours of handling their food,” she said.
“More people are getting food-borne related illnesses that could be hopefully prevented through this training,” Harding told commissioners.
“Your recommendation is for us to adopt this?” Commissioner Joel Tuttle asked.
“Yes, absolutely,” said Harding.
She noted that Morgan County’s food establishments are doing “really well” working with the current sanitarian and staying in compliance.
Commissioners will consider the proposal for a vote at their September 16 meeting.
