CART Food, Health, and Safety Courses
Food, Health, and Safety Courses
The first question to ask is “What are food, health and safety courses?”
There are many courses related to food that cover food health and safety, including:
- Professional Cookery Diplomas: Levels 1–3 cover food preparation, larder, and pastry, with options for full- or part-time college study.
- Apprenticeships (UK): Pathways include Production Chef (Level 2), Commis Chef (Level 2), Chef de Partie (Level 3), and Senior Culinary Chef (Level 4).
- Intensive Culinary Academies: Fast-track diplomas and short courses offered by schools like Leiths or WhitePepper.
- Specialised/Niche Training: Courses for wedding catering, vegan cuisine, and fish chefs.
- Food Management Safety Course: Training for supervisory and managerial staff on implementing food safety procedures, meeting legal requirements, and managing hygiene standards in food businesses.
The above courses cover food, health, and safety, but most offer a qualification rather than a certificate, which is the prime difference between food courses and food health and safety courses.
Food health and safety standards are subject to ongoing change. The Food Standards Agency and Health and Safety Executive regularly review and update guidelines to ensure continuous improvement in food safety practices. Given the dynamic nature of the food industry, it is essential that food health and safety training be renewed every 3 years, enabling food handlers to keep up to date with current safety requirements.
What are Food, Health, and Safety Courses Called?
The official name for a food health and safety course in the UK is “Food Safety”, yet it is commonly known by many other colloquial names.
The Official Name is Food Safety Level 1 through to 4 (or up to Level 7 in Scotland)
Other names include:
- Food Hygiene
- Food Safety and Hygiene
- Food safety/hygiene
- Food Hygiene & Safety
- Food Hygiene Certificate, etc…
What’s the difference between the Food Safety Course levels?
This is quite an interesting question, because many people presume that you start at Level 1 and progress to Level 4. However, this is not the case. The course levels are designed to reflect your job responsibilities and the knowledge you need to work safely. Each successive level builds on the knowledge from previous levels, adding information specific to a more advanced role. Each training certificate lasts for three years, and after this time, it must be renewed to remain up to date with current food safety knowledge.
As an example, Someone stacking food shelves or working front of house in a restaurant would need Level 1 Food Safety training. However, unless their job role changed, they would never need a higher-level certificate.
Likewise, a kitchen manager would need a minimum of Level 3 Food Safety training, as they would be responsible not only for other staff but also for the planned maintenance and long-term cleaning schedules of the kitchen.
A basic guide to who needs what is:
- Food Safety Level 1: Designed for staff who work with low-risk or pre-packaged foods, as well as front-of-house staff in catering, retail, or hospitality sectors. This qualification provides foundational knowledge of food hygiene, personal hygiene, and contamination risks, making it suitable for individuals with limited or no responsibilities related to food preparation.
- Food Safety Level 2: Level 2 Food Safety training is designed for individuals who routinely handle, prepare, cook, or serve food within professional or voluntary environments, including restaurants, cafés, schools, hospitals, fetes, care facilities, and food manufacturing units. This training ensures that personnel are knowledgeable about proper food safety procedures to effectively prevent contamination, including the presence of harmful substances, foreign objects, or microorganisms that make food unsafe, spoiled, or unfit for human consumption.
- Food Safety Level 3: Designed for supervisors, managers, and owners in catering, retail, or manufacturing who oversee how food is handled. This course is meant for those who manage HACCP-based food safety systems, ensure legal compliance, and work in environments where handling high-risk food is common. HACCP, which stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, is a scientific approach to food safety management that aims to prevent, reduce, or eliminate biological, chemical, or physical hazards in food production. It emphasises identifying crucial steps in the process to actively control risks, rather than relying solely on checking the final product.
- Food Safety Level 4: This training is structured for managers, senior supervisors, food business owners, and hygiene trainers within the catering or manufacturing sectors. This program is essential for individuals responsible for developing food safety systems, managing HACCP protocols, or supervising personnel to uphold high compliance and safety standards.
A simple way to view how the training works is:
- Level 1 Food Safety = Level 1
- Level 2 Food Safety = Level 1 + 2
- Level 3 Food Safety = Level 1 + 2 + 3
- Level 4 Food Safety = Level 1 + 2 +3 +4
Alongside Food Safety Courses, another aspect of food health and safety concentrates on allergen training, which also requires renewal every three years. This is especially beneficial for front-of-house staff, chefs, and food producers and manufacturers.
There are two versions of this course:
Food Allergen Course for Cafés and Restaurants
Food Allergen Course for Factories and Food Manufacturers
