Food hygiene essentials: training course with certificate of completion online course

What gets asked for. A local authority food safety officer checks the processes, training and systems you use to keep hygiene up, and the business must be able to show that staff have the right skills and up-to-date training for their role, with a record of the training completed.

Who it is for

Pubs, restaurants, cafes and takeaways in England
Kitchen staff, cooks and kitchen porters
Front of house staff who handle or serve food
New starters, who should be instructed before they work with food
Managers who need a dated training record for every food handler

What it covers

Why food hygiene matters, and the employer's duty
Microbiological, chemical, physical and allergen hazards
The 4 Cs: cooking, chilling, cleaning and cross-contamination
Cooking, hot holding, chilling and reheating temperatures as the Food Standards Agency gives them
Personal hygiene, handwashing and illness, including the 48 hour rule
Cleaning and disinfection, pests and waste
The 14 allergens and Natasha's Law for prepacked for direct sale food
HACCP in plain words, Safer Food, Better Business and records
What an inspector looks for and the food hygiene rating

How it works

Buy places. Pay by card. Your order page is ready as soon as the payment goes through.
Send the join link to your staff. One link covers everyone. Each person types their name and starts.
They do the lessons on their own phone. It takes about 46 minutes in all, and they can stop and carry on later.
They sit the test. It is marked by the system. Anyone who misses is told which lessons to read again. After a miss there is a wait before the next try, and after six tries in a row the lessons are read again.
A pass gives a certificate. It has a QR code anyone can scan to check it, and your order page links to every one.
You sign off the practical. Each certificate comes with a sign-off sheet. You watch the person do the job on your own equipment, tick each check and sign. The online course teaches the knowledge. You decide who is authorised to do the work.

The law behind it

Food business operators must ensure that food handlers are supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene matters matched to their work. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter XII, as it applies in England. Source: legislation.gov.uk
Food business operators must put in place and keep a permanent procedure based on the HACCP principles, with documents and records that match the size of the business. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Article 5. Source: legislation.gov.uk
A person who breaks the specified hygiene provisions commits an offence. The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, regulation 19. Source: legislation.gov.uk
Food handlers do not have to hold a food hygiene certificate, but the business must be able to show staff have the right skills and up-to-date training for their role. Food Standards Agency guidance on GOV.UK. Source: gov.uk
Staff with diarrhoea or vomiting must not return to work until they have had no symptoms for 48 hours. Food Standards Agency guidance on GOV.UK. Source: gov.uk
Allergen information must be provided for non-prepacked food, and food prepacked for direct sale must carry a full ingredients label with the 14 allergens emphasised. Food Standards Agency guidance on GOV.UK. Source: gov.uk

What you get

Eleven lessons for each person, about 46 minutes in all, on their own phone
A test of 15 questions, marked automatically, with a fresh set of questions on every attempt
A certificate of completion with a QR code that anyone can scan to check it is real
A page showing you who has passed and when
A sign-off sheet for the hands-on checks you do in your own kitchen

£22.50 a place is the whole price. It costs the same for one place or fifty.

The lessons

Why food hygiene matters, and what this course is3 min
The law and who is responsible4 min
The hazards: what can make food unsafe4 min
The 4 Cs and cooking food safely4 min
Chilling, hot holding, freezing and defrosting4 min
Cleaning, disinfection and cross-contamination5 min
Personal hygiene, handwashing and illness6 min
Pests and waste3 min
Allergens and Natasha's Law6 min
HACCP in plain words, and keeping records4 min
Inspections and the food hygiene rating3 min

Read the first lesson free

Free preview

Why food hygiene matters, and what this course is

This course is for people who handle food in pubs, restaurants, cafes, takeaways and kitchens. It covers England.

It is a training course with a certificate of completion. You do the lessons on your phone. Then you take an online test, marked on the spot. Pass it and you get a certificate with a QR code. Anyone can scan the code to check the certificate is real.

What the law asks for

The law asks that food handlers are supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene, matched to the work they do. It does not name one certificate. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says food handlers do not have to hold a food hygiene certificate.

The employer keeps that duty. This course is one part of the training an employer gives. Training on the job and supervision are the other parts, and the employer decides what each person needs.

The FSA offers free online training, for example on food allergy. This course is for employers who want a record, a certificate with a QR verification and an online test marked on the spot.

Why it matters

Undercooked food can cause food poisoning. If a food business is not safe, it can get a low food hygiene rating, be closed down or even be prosecuted.

Not cleaning thoroughly is one of the most common reasons why food businesses are prosecuted. Allergen mistakes can make a customer seriously ill.

Every lesson here ends with a practice question. Read each lesson, answer the question, and move on.

You prepare food that other people eat. If you get it wrong, they are the ones who get ill.

Practice question

Which of these does the law ask for?

Questions

Is this a food hygiene qualification?

It is a training course with a certificate of completion. The certificate says the person completed the course and passed the test, with the date and a certificate number.

Does the law say my staff must have this certificate?

No. The law says food handlers must be supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene, matched to their work. It does not name a certificate. The employer keeps that duty. This course is one part of the training you give.

Why not use the free training from the Food Standards Agency?

You can, and it is useful. This course is for employers who want a record, a certificate with a QR code to check, and an online test marked on the spot.

How do my staff get in?

After you pay, you get an order page with one link to send to your staff. Each person opens it, puts in their name and starts the course on their own phone.

How long does it take?

About 46 minutes for the eleven lessons, then the test. Staff can do a lesson on a break and finish over a few days.

How long is the test?

15 questions. A person passes with 12 right.

How can anyone check a certificate?

Scan the QR code on the certificate. It opens a page that confirms the certificate is real, so an inspector can check it without asking you to find a file.

What happens if someone fails?

They are told which lessons to read again, and they can retake the test. Each attempt has a fresh set of questions.

Does it replace training in my own kitchen?

No. Your staff still need supervision and instruction in your own kitchen, on your own equipment. The sign-off sheet is there for that.

Is this for Scotland and Northern Ireland?

No. The course covers the law in England.

Can people do it on a phone?

Yes. The lessons and the test are made for a phone screen. A tablet or computer works too.

What if someone loses their link?

They can ask for it again by email on the "Lost my link" page, as long as they gave an email address when they started.

Ready?

£22.50 a place, the whole price

This is PHW training with a certificate of completion. It is not an accredited qualification, so it is for you to decide whether it is enough for your business.