Basic Food Hygiene Certificate

If you are starting a new food business you must register with the local authority at least 28 days before setting up.  This means that most food business premises will have to be registered.  If you think you are exempt from being registered, for instance where you may already be registered for food law purposes or perhaps a tent or marquee, but not including stalls, then you should contact the local authority to make sure.

If you make or serve food then the absolute bare minimum that you need is a Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate.  The necessary skills may also be obtained in other ways, such as through on-the-job training, self-study or relevant prior experience. The operator of the food business is responsible for ensuring this happens.

This course is 100% online and can takes 2-3 hours on any PC with an internet connection. Technically it is not an actual qualification; but you need to be able to prove that you meet the legal requirements for food handlers, and many people do this by getting a UK level 2 food hygiene certificate.

The modules covered are:

• costs of poor hygiene
• food poisoning and food-borne diseases
• how germs grow in food
• contamination of food
• prevention of food poisoning
• improving personal hygiene
• storage and temperature control
• preparation, cooking and cooling of food
• construction and design of food premises
• cleaning and disinfecting
• pest control
• food hygiene law requirements
• control of food safety risks
• hazard analysis

The Environmental Health Service will only deal with food complaints that pose a public health threat. Environmental Health officers pursue a positive and proactive approach towards ensuring compliance through their enforcement policy, which in general terms is as follows:

• helping and encouraging regulated entities to understand and meet regulatory requirements more easil
• responding proportionately to regulatory breaches
• protecting and improving public health and the environment

Sanctions and penalties will be consistent, balanced, fairly implemented and relate to common standards that ensure individual, public safety or the environment is adequately protected.

The aim of sanctions and penalties are to:

• change the behaviour of the offender
• eliminate any financial gain or benefit from non-compliance
• be responsive and consider what is appropriate for the particular offender and regulatory issue, which can include punishment and the public stigma that should be associated with a criminal conviction proportionate to the nature of the offence and the harm caused
• aim to deter future non-compliance

This is just some information for your reference, but please bear in mind this is not a complete statement of the law.

Image: David Sillitoe

Tags: environmental health officer, food hygiene legislation, safer food better business