Food Safety and Hygiene Training

Food Safety and Hygiene Training

The law requires that all food handlers need to be trained according to their food handling work activities. When an employee achieves a recognised and regulated qualification at a level suitable for the work they are employed to do, it will assist a food business operator in proving that they have demonstrated “due diligence” and are therefore compliant in the eyes of the law.

Anyone who directly or indirectly handles food in a commercial setting must understand food hygiene and food safety requirements as laid out by legislation.

• If you are employed for a food handling job role, your employer is legally obliged to provide you with the necessary training.

The Food Safety and Hygiene Legislation:

The legislation

• The Food Safety Act 1990
• Regulation (EC) 178/2002
• The Food Hygiene Regulations 2006

This legislation aims to ensure food that is prepared and sold for human consumption is of the standard the consumer expects and does not put their health at risk. There is a requirement that those people employed in the food industry and working with food will have a working knowledge and awareness of what the law requires and as individuals progress within their role that their knowledge will increase accordingly. This includes the importance of controlling food temperature and eliminating food hazards through preventative measures and good practices. Completing a food safety and food hygiene training course will help give the knowledge required. The knowledge then needs to be applied in the job role.

In food production factories and the meat industry further legislation applies and does still require food safety and food hygiene training is completed.

Many Different Job Roles:

The job of a waiter or table server carrying a person’s order to their table, or a person handing food serving over a counter, means the requirement food safety and hygiene training to meet the hygiene laws still apply to these job roles even though not coming into direct contact with food.

Further job roles:

• Transporting and delivering food in bulk.
• Washing dishes and utensils that come in contact with food,
• Working in retailing and directly serving food like vegetables, fish, baked goods, fresh or cooked meat and delicatessens.

Food hygiene training will cover all the relevant topics and give the appropriate level of food safety and food hygiene knowledge required the different job roles.

Refreshing Food Hygiene and Training Increases Knowledge of:

• Food handling practices and preparation.
• Hygienic food preparation.
• Hygienic food storage, including controlling temperatures.
• Controlling food safety hazards.
• Personal hygiene and good health.
• Cleaning and disinfection of food premises

If working with food without the correct level of training, the employee and employer are not only breaking food safety standards and can be prosecuted, but they are also putting lives of their customers at risk.

Food Safety Qualifications:
For individuals wishing to take a food safety qualification Intrinsic Training offer “food safety and food hygiene e-learning or on-line courses” that can be purchased from our website.
Each course is worked through to suit each person. After taking and passing a short on-line test,  a certificate endorsed by Highfield Qualifications can be printed immediately. Highfield certificates are instantly recognised by inspectors and auditors alike. Alternatively, a Highfield accredited food safety course delivered by Intrinsic Training can be attended to gain a food safety qualification.

Refresher training is an alternative to attending a full course as a refresher course will last half the time. These are highly recommended, though not required by law, but as everyone’s food safety and hygiene knowledge reduces around the edges overtime, It’s important to refresh key parts of food hygiene and safety, such as correct storage temperatures of different foods and correct storage procedures.

Not only that but the legislation changes, such as those coming in October 2021 and some that will follow as changes are made as a result of Brexit, mean the renewing of a food safety and hygiene qualifications will be even more important to individuals and the businesses they work in to keep in line with the requirements of the laws. Not having renewed food safety and hygiene knowledge training means a food handler’s knowledge maybe outdated.

Food handlers need to have the most up-to-date knowledge to comply with the law and safely prepare food in their job.

Q: How long do food safety and food hygiene certificates last for?

A: Food safety certificates never expire, and there is no legal requirement for you to renew your food safety and hygiene certificate. However, it is recommended that refresher training is completed at least every three years.

All courses delivered by www.intrinsictraining.com are certificated upon successful passing of the assessment/test.

On-Line Food Safety Courses

Our on-line courses available at https://www.intrinsictraining.com/online-training/
Starting one of our on-line learning courses is amazingly easy and everything is explained step by step on the website.
include
Level 1 Award in Food Safety
Level 2 Award in Food safety for manufacturing
and
Level 3 Award in Food Safety

Alternatively you may like to consider our special offer bundle this includes:
the Level 2 Award in food safety, the level 2 award in health and safety and the level 1 award introduction to allergens.

Classroom- Based Food Safety Courses:

Alternatively, we have a series of scheduled face to face courses available again including food safety level 2, level 3 and in September 2021 level 4 to be held in Beverley, East Yorkshire. See our event calendar on our website: www.intrinsictraining.com

A Different Level of Training maybe Required:

• It may also be necessary to renew food safety and food hygiene qualification at a higher level. As a food handler works longer in their job, more responsibility is usually given and often promotion follows.
• As a result of more responsibility, an increase in knowledge is required and the knowledge must be up to date. This may lead to the required qualification needing to be at a higher level. It is particularly important if the increased responsibility now includes supervision.
• For those supervising or leading others, the Level 3 Food Safety and Hygiene qualification should seriously be considered.
• This training is available at Intrinsic Training, either face to face or using our on-line courses. Full support is given when buying an on-line course.
• We do not leave you to struggle and get frustrated. Our explanation makes it easy to complete our on-line courses
• Having strong knowledge about food hygiene and safety is essential for ensuring the success of a food business.
• Bad practices can lead to an outbreak of food poisoning, to negative reviews and/or customer complaints. This can lead to visits from the environmental health officer, possibly leading to actions being taken. These can all lead to a damaged reputation or legal complications.
• With good food hygiene and safety knowledge, however, food handlers can prevent food from being cross-contaminated, ensuring customers are served or sold food that is safe for consumption and meets their expected standards.

Does your job (or the job you are pursuing) involve working with food? Whether you oversee carrying orders to tables, serving food in a lunchroom, or frying the food that fills people’s plates, you need to be professionally trained to do so hygienically.

What Level of Food Hygiene Training Should You Have?

Depending on the degree to which you are involved with handling food, you will require food hygiene training at level 1, level 2, or level 3.
Each level covers similar topics, but the higher the level the more in-depth the knowledge will need to be.

Level 1 is for those with job roles similar to these:

• Front of house employees.
• Checkout staff.
• Waiters.
• Bar workers.
• Food delivery drivers.
• Kitchen porters.

Cooking and preparing food is covered in light detail whilst at level 2 because it is not intended for people involved in food preparation: rather, it is for people who only handle low-risk foods and do not directly touch food.

Level 2 Food Hygiene Job roles would include:

Food handlers and chefs who work directly with preparing food in:

• Restaurants.
• Hotels.
• Cafés.
• Bars.
• Fast food outlets.
• Takeaways.
• Kitchens.
• Hospitals.
• Food trucks.
• Schools, universities and colleges.

Level 3 Food Hygiene Job roles  would include:

• Supervisors.
• Team leaders
• Senior staff
• Kitchen managers.
• Food managers.
• Production managers
• Line managers

Level 3 is required by those who are responsible for managing people, developing food safety systems, and communicating this information to staff in a food business that directly prepares and serves food to consumers.

What Does Food Hygiene Training Cover?

As mentioned above, it depends on the level of training you decide suits your job, but food hygiene training will make you aware of how to properly look after and prepare food at every stage:

1. Making sure the food delivered from suppliers is not damaged, delivered at the right temperature, and the quantity and quality are acceptable.
2. Storing the items delivered correctly in the right type of storage e.g., chiller, using the first in first out (FIFO) rotation system. Knowing the correct temperature of chillers, fridges and freezers, and knowing what will happen if the temperatures are not right. Recognising signs of contamination or poor storage methods, such as mould, discolouration, staleness.
3. Ensuring food correctly labelled with use/best by dates and allergens are identified correctly in bold
4. Recognising the different contamination hazards (bacteria, moulds, viruses, and parasites), and how to prevent them from contaminating food sold to customers. The physical hazards (metal glass, plastic, cardboard, stones, hair, bone, fingernails, etc.). The cleaning chemicals hazards, including bleach. The 14 possible allergen hazards including peanuts, sesame seeds.
5. Having the knowledge of how and why food is preserved, such as cold storage, cooking, dehydrating and vacuum packing.
6. Having the ability to inform others of how to properly maintain their personal hygiene to a standard that is required in a food premises.
7. Knowing the high stand of cleaning and disinfection that is required to keep food premises safe to prepare food.

There is far too much to cover in one blog. However, accredited training will give you the detailed information an easy-to-digest breakdown of everything you need to know to be a qualified food handler.

Once Food Safety training has been completed then food business operators (FBO) should consider Hazard Analysis Critical Control (HACCP) training. For smaller Food Business Operators the alternative Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) training should be considered to meet the requirements of the law.

Intrinsic Training deliver the Highfield Level 2 HACCP which meets the requirements for Better Food Better Business requirements and will help achieve a high Hygiene Rating.

Intrinsic Training deliver the Highfield Level 3 HACCP training course. This is ideal for Food Business Operators (FBO) in helping to achieve a higher Food Hygiene Rating.

Our HACCP courses are open to the public and scheduled regularly see our website calendar for fur details.