How long is a food hygiene certificate valid?

Every food business operator must make sure food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene in a way that matches their work, and that whoever runs the business’s food safety procedures (based on HACCP) has adequate training. The Food Standards Agency says staff who handle food should be trained in food hygiene and safety, including allergens, before they start work. A certificate is one way to show that, not a legal requirement.

• No certificate expires in law, so an older certificate is not itself a breach.
• The question an inspector asks is whether staff are trained or supervised to a level that suits their work. Keeping training records helps you show that during an inspection.
• If training has lapsed and hygiene practices slip, the council can take enforcement action, such as serving a notice. Hackney Council notes that failing to comply with a notice is a criminal offence.

1. 1

   Match training to each role

   Someone plating open high-risk food needs more than someone stacking sealed packs. Hartlepool Borough Council suggests Level 2 for handlers of open high-risk food and supervisors, within three months of starting work.

2. 2

   Include allergens

   The FSA says food hygiene and safety training should include allergens. It offers free online allergen training for businesses.

3. 3

   Set a refresher cycle

   Pick an interval and write it into your food safety management system. At least every three years is a common council recommendation.

4. 4

   Retrain after changes

   New menus, new equipment, a poor inspection or a near miss are all good reasons not to wait for the cycle.

5. 5

   Record it

   The FSA’s Safer food, better business packs include a training record template you can use.

A simple reminder plan: 60 days, 30 days, 7 days before the re-check date. The calculator above puts these in your calendar.

• A training record for each food handler: course or topic, level, date and who delivered it.
• Certificates from external courses.
• Notes of in-house training and supervision for new starters.

• Believing certificates expire after three years by law. They do not, but inspectors will look at whether training is current.
• Letting new starters handle open food before any training or close supervision.
• Training on hygiene but not on allergens.
• Keeping no records, which makes it hard to show inspectors what training was done.