Food Safety Training Part 2
Stage 2 – Hygiene Awareness Instruction
All food handlers must have this stage of training within 4 weeks of employment.
Guide to compliance
Category A – Food handlers
Job:
On site support and front-of-house activities not directly involving the preparation and personal handling of high risk open (unwrapped) food.
Likely job title:
Storeman, waiter/waitress, bar staff (serving food and drink but not involved in food preparation), counter staff, servery assistant, cellarman, food delivery staff.
Level:
Hygiene Awareness Instruction.
When:
Full-time staff: at induction or as soon as practical thereafter and ideally within 4 weeks of appointment.
Part-time and casual staff: likewise but, with their shorter hours, within 8 weeks should be the target.
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| Hygiene awareness instruction The following is an outline of HYGIENE AWARENESS INSTRUCTION. The overall aim is to develop knowledge of the basic principles of food hygiene. The topics covered should be appropriate to the job of the individual, and may include: - The business’s policy – priority given to food hygiene.
- “Germs” – potential to cause illness.
- Personal health and hygiene – need for high standards, reporting illness, rules on smoking.
- Cross contamination – causes, prevention.
- Food storage – protection, temperature control.
- Waste disposal, cleaning and disinfection - materials, methods and storage.
- ‘Foreign body’ contamination.
- Awareness of pests.
In addition, staff must be told how to do their particular job hygienically. In particular, they should be instructed on any control or monitoring points from the ‘Identification of Critical Steps’.
The depth, breadth, and duration of the training will be dependent upon the particular job requirements and the degree of risk involved in the activity. It may be split into modules. The design of the sessions should be such that they encourage discussion and group involvement.
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Stage 3 – formal training (level 1)
Formal training should be carried out within 3 months of employment.
| Stage 3 Formal training courses
LEVEL 1 The following is an outline of Level 1 training. The overall aim is to develop a level of understanding of the basic principles of food hygiene. - Food poisoning micro-organisms types and sources.
- Simple microbiology, toxins, spores, growth and death.
- Premises and equipment.
- Common food hazards – physical, chemical, microbiological.
- Personal Hygiene – basic rules and responsibilities.
- Preventing food contamination.
- Food poisoning, symptoms and causes.
- Cleaning and disinfection.
- Legal obligations
- Pest Control.
- Effective temperature control of food, eg storage, thawing, reheating and cooking.
Such a course will probably be of about 6 hours duration. |
Alternatively, a range of standard food hygiene courses are accredited and run by several organisations. These include:
- The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
- The Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene (RIPHH)
- The Royal Society of Health (RSH)
- The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS)
- Society of Food Hygiene Technology (SOFHT)
Stage 3 – formal training (levels 2 and 3)
More advanced training courses will deal with food hygiene in more detail and cover management and systems.
