Food Hygiene Training

The operation of a food business is a major undertaking and one which should not be entered into lightly. As a food business operator you are responsible for ensuring the safety of your customers. To help you to achieve this, provision of adequate training for your staff is very important and you should ensure that you budget for this when considering "getting started".

Food Handler Training Requirement

In accordance with European Food Hygiene Regulations, food business operators must "ensure that food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity". Put simply, if a food handler does not have adequate training it will be necessary for that employee to receive close supervision and instruction by another member of staff who has received adequate training.

Before they start any work involving the handling of food, all staff must receive induction training in the workplace to make them aware of food hygiene issues, including personal hygiene, what to do if they have a stomach upset, etc.

• Staff will also need further instruction or training suited to the type of work they do:
• Staff who handle "low risk" or wrapped/prepacked "high risk" food (retail sale mainly) should be instructed in hygiene awareness (cleanliness, causes of food poisoning, temperature control, etc).
• Food handlers that prepare or serve open high risk food must either:
• receive training equivalent to that given by food hygiene qualifications of National Qualifications Framework Level 2 Standard, e.g. CIEH "Level 2 Award in Food Safety" (See the links below for further details). Whilst this training does not have to be obtained by attendance at a "formal" course, Rochford District Council considers that a training certificate obtained from a suitable course (such as those described above) constitutes sufficient training for a food handler.
• OR
• be closely supervised and instructed at all times by at least one member of staff who has him/herself received suitable training.

You and your staff might all have different training needs, so you should consider each member of staff individually. You might also need to make special arrangements for staff whose first language is not English and those who have learning difficulties or literacy problems.

Management/Supervisors

It is recommended that food business operators, managers and supervisors receive food hygiene training to a higher level than that described above, e.g. a relevant National Qualifications Framework level 3 or level 4 qualification.

Food Safety Management System Training

Food business operators and any other persons responsible for the maintenance and development of the business' "Food Safety Management System" are required to "have received adequate training in the application of the "HACCP principles"". For further information on how to comply with this requirement please see the Food Safety Management link in Related Links below.

There are several organisations who accredit food hygiene training organisations to run their courses, as well as local training providers who run accredited formal food hygiene training courses. Details of these can be found in related links and related documents below.