Anyone in Germany who starts a job with food, such as meat, dairy products, baked goods or ice cream, or who works in the kitchen of a restaurant, canteen or café, first needs a certificate from the public health office. It confirms that the person has been instructed about the legal duties and about which infectious diseases bar them from the work. The certificate must not be older than three months when the job begins. After that, the employer must repeat the instruction once the job has started and then every two years. The certificate and the record of the last instruction stay with the employer. The certificate replaced the old Gesundheitszeugnis, the health certificate under the former federal epidemics law. The old certificates are still valid.