Accredited Food Safety & Hygiene Training
Protect your customers and your reputation
Accredited food safety and hygiene training from Level 1 through to Level 4. Food business operators must ensure that anyone handling food is supervised, instructed and trained in food hygiene to a level appropriate to their work — and your food hygiene rating depends partly on being able to evidence it.
Levels 1 to 4
Catering, retail & manufacturing
Highfield accredited
Delivered by e-learning or live online with experienced tutors, these courses cover food handling, allergen management, HACCP and contamination control. Suitable for individuals or whole teams, from new starters through to supervisors and managers.
Which level do you need? Match it to what people actually do, not to how long they have worked for you.
Level 1 — staff who handle low-risk or wrapped food: front of house, waiting staff, bar and shelf-stacking roles.
Level 2 — anyone preparing or cooking open food. This is the standard expectation for kitchen staff and the level environmental health officers look for.
Level 3 — supervisors, head chefs and team leaders responsible for others and for the food safety management system.
Level 4 — managers, owners and food safety leads who design and audit the system rather than work within it.
What these courses cover
Recognised qualifications across the core areas of food safety compliance.
Food handling & hygiene
Temperature control, cross-contamination, personal hygiene, cleaning and safe storage — the practices an inspection is scored against.
Allergen management
The 14 regulated allergens, how information must be provided, and the rules for food prepacked for direct sale under Natasha’s Law.
HACCP & controls
Hazard analysis and critical control points. Every food business must have a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles.
Contamination control
Preventing physical, chemical, biological and allergenic contamination across preparation, storage and service.
Allergens are where the serious cases now come from. Since October 2021, food prepacked for direct sale must carry a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised — commonly known as Natasha’s Law. Allergen failures have resulted in prosecutions and custodial sentences.
General food hygiene training covers allergens briefly. If allergen management is a real risk in your operation, the dedicated Level 3 award goes considerably further.
Available food safety training courses
Choose your level and sector. Envico is an independent training intermediary — we arrange your place with an accredited provider.
Level 1 — Awareness
For staff handling low-risk or wrapped food, and as an induction for new starters.
Level 2 — Core qualifications
The standard for anyone preparing or cooking open food. Start here if you are unsure.
Level 3 — Supervisory
For supervisors, head chefs and anyone responsible for others or for the food safety management system.
Level 4 — Management
For managers, owners and food safety leads who design, review and audit the system.
Food safety training questions
Is food hygiene training a legal requirement?
Food business operators must ensure that food handlers are supervised, instructed and trained in food hygiene matters appropriate to their work. No specific certificate is named in law, but accredited training is the standard way of evidencing it — and an environmental health officer will ask to see the records. Level 2 is the widely expected standard for anyone handling open food.
Who enforces food safety law?
Your local authority’s environmental health team, not HSE. They carry out inspections, award your Food Hygiene Rating, and can serve improvement notices, hygiene emergency prohibition notices or prosecute. The Food Standards Agency sets policy and runs the rating scheme; the local authority does the inspecting.
How does training affect our hygiene rating?
Ratings are scored on three things: hygienic food handling, the condition of the structure, and confidence in management. Training records feed directly into that third element, which is often what separates a 4 from a 5. Documented, current training for the right people at the right levels is one of the cheapest ways to improve a score.
How often should food safety training be refreshed?
No statutory interval applies, and certificates do not formally expire. Three years is the widely used convention, and many environmental health officers expect to see refresher training within that period. Refresh sooner when menus, processes or equipment change, after any incident, or where monitoring suggests practices have drifted.
Do we need a HACCP system?
Yes. Every food business must have a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles, proportionate to the size and nature of the business. Smaller caterers commonly use the FSA’s Safer Food, Better Business pack rather than building one from scratch. Someone needs to understand the principles well enough to maintain it, which is what the HACCP courses are for.
Is online food safety training accepted?
Yes, provided the course is accredited and the content is appropriate to the role. Online and e-learning delivery is widely accepted by environmental health officers, and is the practical option for hospitality where releasing staff for a classroom day is difficult. What matters is the accreditation and the record, not the delivery method.
Training a whole team?
Group bookings across Levels 1 to 4, so everyone is trained to the right level for their role — and your records line up for the next inspection.
This page is general guidance and does not replace UK food hygiene legislation, Food Standards Agency guidance, or advice from your local authority environmental health team.