Is a Level 2 food hygiene certificate legally required?

UK law requires food handlers to be trained and supervised to a level appropriate to their work. A Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate is the widely accepted way to evidence that for anyone handling open food.

Can I show this certificate to an environmental health officer?

Yes. The course is written to Food Standards Agency guidance at Level 2, and your certificate is evidence of training you can show an employer or an environmental health officer. There is no official approval list for food hygiene courses: officers look at whether staff have been trained and supervised to a level that suits their work.

How long does the Level 2 course take?

Around 3 hours, fully self-paced. Start, pause and finish whenever suits you, on any device.

Does the certificate expire?

No, your certificate does not expire. The law sets no renewal date, but many employers look for a refresher about every three years, or sooner if your role or your menu changes.

Do I get the certificate immediately?

Yes — pass the final exam and download your personalised, verifiable certificate straight away.

Course · CPD-standard · Online

Food Safety & Hygiene for Catering

🕑 Self-paced · about 3 hours 🧩 79 guided steps 🎯 10-question assessments, randomised 🏆 Instant verifiable certificate

Not yet CPD accredited. This course has been submitted to The CPD Group for accreditation and is waiting for their decision. Certificates issued once it is accredited will show it.

12 months’ access · study on any device · no subscription

Written and taught by a CPD Approved Provider (#791025)

£20.00One-off payment · 12 months’ access · instant certificate

Buy this course

Around 2.4 million cases of food poisoning happen in the UK every year (Food Standards Agency estimate), and much of it is preventable. This course gives anyone who handles, prepares, cooks, serves or transports food the working knowledge to be part of the solution, written for food handlers and built around UK food law and Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidance.

🕑 Around 3 hours

Eight lessons you take at your own pace, on any device, with your progress saved as you go.

🎓 CPD-standard learning

CPD-standard learning you can log towards your annual professional development record.

🏆 CPD-standard certificate

Pass the assessments and your personalised certificate lands in your account straight away.

🇬🇧 Written for the UK

Grounded in UK food safety legislation, HACCP principles and current FSA guidance.

Who it’s for

This course is for anyone who works with open or high-risk food:

Chefs, cooks and kitchen assistants
Waiting, bar and front-of-house staff, and baristas
Food retail, delivery and warehouse staff
Care, hospitality and childminding workers
Volunteers and brand-new starters; we assume no prior training

It also makes a solid refresher for supervisors and new managers before they step up to Food Safety & Hygiene for Catering Supervisors.

What you’ll come away knowing

The main food safety hazards, and how they actually make people ill
What the law asks of food businesses and food handlers, and how it is enforced
How to control contamination, cross-contamination and allergens
Personal hygiene, proper handwashing and the ‘fit to work’ rules
Temperature control for cooking, chilling, hot-holding and reheating
Safe storage, deliveries and stock rotation
Cleaning, disinfection and waste management
Pest control, premises design and managing food safety through HACCP

How the course works

Eight focused lessons, each broken into short topics with a quick practice game to make the ideas stick. Every lesson ends with an assessment of 10 questions pulled at random from a bigger bank, so no two attempts are the same (80% to pass, three goes at each). The course finishes with a final exam of 20 questions drawn from a pool of 40 that spans the whole syllabus. Your progress is tracked at every step, and the moment you finish, your CPD-standard certificate, carrying your name, the course title and a verifiable reference code, is issued instantly and saved to My Account → Certificates.

Access runs for 12 months, on any device, with your certificate ready to download the second you pass.

Course content

IntroductionLesson
Introduction to Food Safety and the LawLesson
What is food safety?Topic
UK food safety lawTopic
Who enforces the law?Topic
Registration and the Food Hygiene Rating SchemeTopic
Due diligenceTopic
Your legal duties as a food handlerTopic
🎮 Practice: whose job is it?Topic
Lesson 1 Assessment — Food Safety and the LawQuiz
Microbiological Hazards: Bacteria and Food PoisoningLesson
The four types of hazardTopic
What bacteria need to growTopic
The danger zoneTopic
Spores and toxinsTopic
Common food-poisoning bacteriaTopic
Symptoms and high-risk groupsTopic
🎮 Practice: grow or stop?Topic
Lesson 2 Assessment — Bacteria and Food PoisoningQuiz
Contamination and Cross-Contamination ControlLesson
What is contamination?Topic
Cross-contaminationTopic
Separating raw and ready-to-eat foodsTopic
Colour-coded equipmentTopic
Physical and chemical contamination controlTopic
The 14 allergensTopic
🎮 Practice: colour-code the boardsTopic
Worked example: a busy prep sessionTopic
Lesson 3 Assessment — Contamination ControlQuiz
Personal HygieneLesson
Why personal hygiene mattersTopic
Effective handwashingTopic
When to wash your handsTopic
Protective clothingTopic
Personal behaviour and jewelleryTopic
Fitness to work and reporting illnessTopic
🎮 Practice: the perfect hand-washTopic
Lesson 4 Assessment — Personal HygieneQuiz
Temperature Control: Cooking, Chilling, Hot-Holding and ReheatingLesson
Key temperatures to rememberTopic
Cooking food safelyTopic
Cooling food quicklyTopic
Reheating and hot-holdingTopic
Defrosting and probesTopic
Using time as a controlTopic
🎮 Practice: mind the danger zoneTopic
Worked example: a delivery goes wrongTopic
Lesson 5 Assessment — Temperature ControlQuiz
Food Storage, Deliveries and Stock RotationLesson
Checking deliveriesTopic
Storing food correctlyTopic
Stock rotation and the FIFO principleTopic
Understanding date marksTopic
Preventing spoilage and contamination in storageTopic
Records and traceabilityTopic
🎮 Practice: accept or reject?Topic
Lesson 6 Assessment — Storage & Stock RotationQuiz
Cleaning, Disinfection and Waste ManagementLesson
Cleaning versus disinfectionTopic
The six stages of cleaningTopic
Clean as you goTopic
Cleaning schedules and using chemicals safelyTopic
Managing wasteTopic
Dishwashing and equipmentTopic
🎮 Practice: the six-stage cleanTopic
Worked example: the end-of-shift cleanTopic
Lesson 7 Assessment — Cleaning & WasteQuiz
Pest Control, Premises and Food Safety Management (HACCP)Lesson
Common pests and why they matterTopic
Signs of infestationTopic
Preventing pestsTopic
Premises and equipment designTopic
What is HACCP?Topic
The seven principles of HACCPTopic
🎮 Practice: build the HACCP planTopic
Worked example: spotting the signs earlyTopic
Lesson 8 Assessment — Pest Control & HACCPQuiz
Course SummaryLesson
Final Exam — Food Safety & Hygiene for CateringQuiz

£20.00 One-off payment

Buy this course — £20.00