Recertification and CE Self-Reporting FAQs

The following FAQs provide guidance on eligible CE activities, how to report the activities, and many other recertification questions that you may have. Click on one of the following topics to see related FAQs.

Eligible Types of CE Activities
Many activity types are eligible toward recertification requirements when completed and submitted in accordance with CBDM policy. Eligible content areas. Eligible content areas include those related to the CDM, CFPP Scope of Practice and content covered on the CDM Credentialling Exam.

Reporting a ServSafe Course
This course is eligible to recertification requirements when CBDM policy is met.

Reporting Prior Approved Programs
Learn more about how to report CBDM Prior Approved programs.

Reporting CE Programs and Submitting Required Documentation
Required documentation varies by CE activity type. The Guide to Maintaining your CDM, CFPP Credential provides detailed information.

Reviewing Certification and CE status in my ANFP Record
Access your certification and CE report via the My Certification page of your ANFP record.

Eligible Types of CE Activities

Q: If I submit the minimum required 45 hours for my three-year recertification period, will I meet the CE requirement?

A: No, not necessarily. The total minimum required CE hours is 45 hours. Of the 45 CE hours, you must have 9.0 CE hours related to Sanitation and Safety and 1.0 CE hour pertaining to Professional Ethics. If you do not meet fully these CE requirements, you will not have met the requirements for your three-year recertification period.

Effective June 1, 2019, you must upload via the My Certification page of your ANFP record all required documentation for each reported CE activity. You will not be able to submit the CE program until you do so.

If you are placed in the CE Audit, you must upload the required documentation for all reported programs, even those completed prior to June 1, 2019. Failure to do so and have the documentation CBDM approved may result in termination of your CDM, CFPP certification. Learn more about the CE Audit here and in the CE Audit FAQs.

Q: What types of educational programs can I participate in for continuing education hours?

A: Examples include workshops, conferences, seminars, college courses, trade/food shows, journal clubs, in-services, online courses, teleconferences, webinars, and books. Programs must be a combined total of at least 30 minutes long to be eligible for CE. Tours of plants/facilities are limited to one CE hour. Programs must be related to the fields of Nutrition, Food Service, Personnel and Communications, Sanitation and Safety, and Business Operations. Once CE hours have been earned for a specific program, that program cannot be resubmitted for credit again, regardless of whether it is a subsequent certification period. Credit can only be earned once for any given program. Refer to the CBDM Guide to Maintaining Your CDM, CFPP Credential for more information.

Q: Can I get CE credit for a program previously attended and reported?

A: Once CE hours have been earned for a specific program, the program cannot be resubmitted for credit again, regardless of whether it is in a subsequent certification period. Credit can only be earned once for any given program. If a program is taught multiple times/dates, it can be reported only once.

Q: What types of programs are considered “Sanitation and Safety”?

A: Programs that address safe food handling and storage, infection control, time and temperature regulations, HACCP principles, foodborne pathogens, food allergies, HIV/AIDS, ServSafe training programs, hygiene, disaster preparedness, pandemic disease, and active shooter training are eligible for Sanitation and Safety CE. The CE hours must be reported and required documentation uploaded via the My Certification page of your ANFP record. You must complete and submit a minimum of nine (9.0) CE hours in Sanitation and Safety for each three-year recertification period.

Q: What types of programs qualify for a Professional Ethics program?

A: Beginning June 1, 2019, one (1.0) of the required 45 CE hours must pertain to Professional Ethics. Professional Ethics encompasses standards, values, and guiding principles related to personal and business behaviors of professionals. Related topics include business/code of conduct, confidentiality, conflict of interest, diversity and inclusion, HIPAA/privacy and patient rights/dignity. The CE hours must be reported and required documentation uploaded via the My Certification page of your ANFP record.

Q: What happens if I report more than the nine CE hours required for Sanitation and Safety and the one CE hour required for Professional Ethics?

A: Any reported Sanitation and Safety CE hours that exceed the nine (9.0) CE hours requirement or Professional Ethics CE hours that exceeds the one (1.0) CE hour requirement will automatically convert to General CE hours.

Q: Can I report books toward recertification requirements?

A: Yes, books are an eligible CE activity when completed and reported in compliance with CBDM policy. A maximum of 6.0 CE hours can be reported for books in a three-year recertification period. If more than 6.0 CE hours are reported for books, only 6.0 will be recorded to your record and count toward the recertification requirements. Excess hours reported will not carry over to the next recertification period.

The book must have a publication date or five years old or less. For required documentation, you must upload via the My Certification page of your ANFP record a copy of the title page, copy of the copyright page, copy of the table of contents and a summary of purpose and evaluation, which is your assessment of what you learned and how it applies to your role as a CDM, CFPP.

Q: Can I report Trade/Food Shows for CE hours?

A: A maximum of five (5.0) CE hours can be earned from viewing exhibits at trade/food shows during a three-year recertification period. CE Hours are awarded on the basis of time. Trade/food show hours are spent viewing trade/food show exhibits, as well as food demonstrations, bake-offs, ice carving, and food presentations. The CE hours must be reported and required documentation uploaded via the My Certification page of your ANFP record. Required documentation includes proof of attendance, program brochure with list of exhibitors and amount of time allocated to the trade/food show, and a brief description of how the program was a valuable learning experience and how it will impact your current or future professional practice.

Q: Can I earn CE hours for college coursework?

A: Yes. Each semester/credit hour is eligible for 18 CE hours. The CE must be reported and required documentation must be uploaded via the My Certification page. To be eligible for CE, you must earn a grade of C or higher. A maximum of 36 CE hours can be reported for college coursework in a three-year recertification period. Required documentation includes course description, transcript showing course title, and a brief summary of what you learned and how it enhances your competency as a CDM, CFPP.

Q: Do in-service programs qualify for CE hours?

A: Attending an in-service program at your facility related to Nutrition, Foodservice, Personnel and Communications, and/or Sanitation and Safety is an eligible CE activity if it is in compliance with CBDM policy. Required documentation includes the program agenda with content and learning objectives, topics, date and time frames as well as a copy of the sign-in sheet or verification of attendance from your employer with topic, date and time frames. Business portions of meetings, training employees, facility policies and procedures, or new employee orientations do NOT qualify for CE hours. Additional documentation includes a brief description of why the program was a valuable learning experience and how it will impact your current or future professional practice.

Reporting a ServSafe Course

Q: Can I report ServSafe toward recertification requirements? What do I need to do?

A: ServSafe is an eligible CE activity when reported in compliance with CBDM policy. It can be reported if the same course has not already been completed in the current or a prior recertification period. Credit is allowed again for ServSafe courses in subsequent periods as long as it is a new or updated course.

CBDM recognizes that ServSafe is regularly updated and revised based on current regulations and industry standards and does allow CDM, CFPPs to submit the course in different recertification periods as long as the new course reported has been updated. The submitted required documentation helps CBDM to verify the different versions of the course. The number of hours you can report is based on the actual instruction time not counting breaks, meals or time for taking the test.

The reported time for the course will be verified by program agenda with timeline that you must upload. You also will be required to upload your certificate of completion as well as your Summary of Purpose and Evaluation in which you describe what you learned and how it applies to you as a CDM, CFPP.

To report this CE activity, log in to your ANFP record and submit it via the My Certification page. To submit the program, you will be required to enter program information and upload required documentation. For further assistance, please contact CBDM at info@CBDMonline.org or 800.323.1908.

Reporting Prior-Approved Programs

Q: If I purchased ANFP online CE products, will my CE be entered automatically once I complete the online course or online CE magazine articles?

A: Yes! You do not need to do anything else to submit those hours once you have completed the course or article, quizzes within them, and program evaluation. These programs are CE Audit proof when submitted as a Prior Approved program and will automatically be reported in your ANFP record within approximately 48 hours.

Q: How do I report CBDM Prior Approved CE activities, i.e., those not administered by ANFP?

A: Log in to your ANFP record and go the “My Certification” page. Select “Report CE”. For activity type, select “Prior Approved Program”, enter the Prior Approved Number listed on your certificate of completion, and provide all other requested information. When reported as a “Prior Approved” CE activity, the only documentation that you must upload is your certificate of completion. Make sure that it has your name, program/activity title, date of program completion and number of CE hours awarded. Incomplete certificates will not be accepted or meet documentation requirements.

Reporting CE Programs and Submitting Required Documentation

Q: What “proof of attendance" do I need to submit?

A: Proof of attendance is usually a copy of the certificate of completion that was awarded at the educational event that you attended and includes the program title, your name, date and CE hours earned, or verification from the program provider on official letterhead with their signature and all of the required information. For more information on other required documentation, refer to the chart in the CBDM Guide to Maintaining Your CDM, CFPP Credential. Effective June 1, 2019, the documentation for each reported program must be electronically uploaded via the My Certification page of your ANFP record. If you do not upload the documentation when submitting a program, you will not be able to submit the program.

Q: What do I need on a certificate of completion?

A: A certificate of completion uploaded as required documentation for a CE activity must meet the following criteria:

Your name and date of completion must be on the certificate as well as the number of hours submitted
The number of hours submitted may not be more than the actual number of program hours as validated by the program agenda with timeline
Date of completion must match date on program agenda and date of activity as reported
Program title on certificate of completion must match program title reported
Program sponsor’s name must be on certificate and match the program sponsor reported

If all of the above criteria are not met, the documentation will not be approved and the CE activity also will not be approved.

Q: What is the “Summary of Purpose and Evaluation”? I see that it’s required documentation for most CE activity types.

A: It is your personal assessment of what you learned from the completed CE activity, how it applies to what you do as a CDM, CFPP, and how you will apply your learnings to the job. You will need to upload this required document when you report a CE activity to the My Certification page of your ANFP record. A suggestion is to type it into a Word document and then upload the Word document.

When a required document, it must be provided. If you do not upload the Summary of Purpose and Evaluation, you will not be able to submit the program.

Q: If I earn extra CE hours in my current three-year recertification period, can I transfer them to the next three-year recertification period?

A: No. All CE hours must be earned and reported in the current three-year recertification period and are not transferable to future recertification periods. Extra hours will not carry over to the next recertification period.

Q: If I make a mistake while entering CE hours, can I edit it?

A: At this time, you cannot edit your CE record on the My Certification page of your ANFP record. Please contact CBDM at info@CBDMonline.org or 800.323.1908 for assistance with the requested changes.

Q: May I submit a Subsequent Approval Form?

A: You may no longer submit Subsequent Approval Forms. All CE and required documentation must be submitted electronically via the My Certification page of your record. Physical, e-mailed, or faxed documents sent to CBDM will not be accepted or returned.

Q: How do I report my CE hours if I do not have a computer?

A: CDM, CFPPs are responsible for reporting CE and uploading the required supporting documentation via the My Certification page of their ANFP record. If you do not have a computer, there are other viable solutions such as using mobile devices, tablets, or public computers that may be available at a local library. Physical, emailed, or faxed documents sent to CBDM will not be accepted or returned.

Q: Should I keep required documentation for the reported CE hours?

A: CDM, CFPPs should retain for their records copies of CE records and the documentation as submitted via the My Certification page.

Reviewing Certification and CE Status in my ANFP Record

Q: How do I know what my current certification status is?

A: Log in to your ANFP record and go to the My Certification page. Use this list of Certification and CE Audit Definitions to get an understanding of what your certification status means. If your certification status is Inactive, you cannot report CE programs. If you report programs when your certification was inactive, you will see zero (0) hours for the program because it is not eligible toward your recertification requirements.

Q: How do I know if I am short CE hours?

A: CBDM strongly recommends that you keep track of your CE hours for your current CE recertification period by checking your CE report online. Simply log in to your profile online at www.ANFPonline.org and select “My Certification.” You will see CE activity that you reported and documentation that you electronically uploaded. If you are selected for CE Audit, you will be required to upload required documentation for all reported CE activities and for the program to be approved, you must comply with CBDM policy for requested documentation. If you have any questions, please e-mail info@CBDMonline.org or call 800.323.1908.

Q: Why does the status say "Submitted" for some of my activities?

A: All CE programs submitted and required documentation uploaded electronically via the My Certification page of your ANFP record will show “submitted” status unless the education is a Prior Approved program for which your certificate of completion shows a CBDM provider number and was reported as a Prior Approved program type.

Q: Will CBDM remind me if I am short on CE hours?

A: Yes. E-mail reminders are sent in February and March to CDM, CFPPs (at the e-mail address on file in their ANFP record) who have less than the required total CE hours by the last year of their three-year recertification period. The CBDM strongly recommends that all individuals keep track of their CE hours for the current CE recertification period by checking their CE report online in the My Certification page of their ANFP record. To ensure communications are received from ANFP and CBDM, individuals are responsible for ensuring that contact information in their ANFP record is current and accurate. ANFP and CBDM are not responsible for missed communications due to incorrect e-mail or mailing addresses in a record, or for e-mail messages not accessed from a spam folder. Also, ANFP and CBDM are not responsible for any missed communications regarding any ANFP or CBDM matters for individuals who chose to opt out or unsubscribe from messages sent by ANFP or CBDM.

Q: What happens if I don’t meet the requirements for CE hours and the annual certification maintenance fee?

A: If you do not meet the CE requirements by the end of each three-year recertification period, you will be placed into the CE Audit process. Also, if you do not maintain your credential by paying the annual certification maintenance fees, you will no longer be certified. If eligible, you will need to reinstate your credential. You will only be eligible to earn CE once you have completed the reinstatement process. No CE can be earned for education programs completed or reported during your inactive period. If you are not eligible for reinstatement, you will be required to retest to be eligible to regain the credential. To do so, you must meet a current pathway of eligibility, submit an application with fees for review and approval, receive a passing score on the exam, and activate your certification within one year of passing the exam.

The CBDM made a policy change in January 2019 requiring CDM, CFPPs to meet all CE requirements (45 total continuing education hours, including 9 Sanitation/Safety CE hours and 1 Professional Ethics CE hour) by May 31 of the last year of their three-year recertification period. Individuals not meeting this requirement, would have their CDM, CFPP credential terminated. This policy was to be implemented as of May 31, 2020.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented challenges that we find our professional dealing with, the CBDM has made the decision to postpone implementation of this policy. Therefore, current recertification policies will remain in place.

What does this mean for me? For individuals whose three-year recertification period ends this year, i.e., May 31, 2021, your certification will not be terminated for not meeting the CE hour requirements. You will automatically be placed in the CE Audit process. Notification of your selection for CE Audit will be emailed to you at the email address on file in your record. To avoid missing critical communications about required actions and deadlines, make sure your contact information in your record is accurate and current. Failure to meet all recertification and CE Audit requirements will result in your certification being terminated.

Watch your emails for updates to CBDM polices or other matters regarding the CDM, CFPP Certification Program. You may also contact CBDM at info@CBDMonline.org or 800.323.1908, select option 1 (Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CT).