How long does a Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene course take?

Usually, this course takes 1 – 2 hours, but there is no rush. Take your time to absorb the content, revisit modules, and take a break so that you are confident you have understood each area well. Then, when you’re ready, you can complete the assessment and get your certificate for Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate.

What is Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene?

Our Level 1 Food Hygiene certificate is intended for learners working in low-risk roles, but where there is an element of food handling. It helps you understand the importance of food hygiene and safety as well as recognise the ill-health issues that poor food hygiene can cause.

Who needs Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene?

Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene is for all staff who work in food production or retail business and who handle low risk or wrapped foods. This could include bar workers, waiting staff, health care workers, kitchen porters and stock/store room staff. Level 2 is required for anyone who works in a catering, manufacturing, or retail setting where food is prepared, cooked, and handled. Level 3 is aimed at supervisors, managers, or business owners working in the food industry. As for Level 2 above, it would also apply in a variety of settings including catering, manufacturing, and retail but to those with a responsibility for a team of people.

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Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene

Our Food Hygiene Certificate Level 1 course is suitable for anyone who is a beginner in a food handling environment and needs to understand the basic principles of food safety and hygiene. This online course covers food safety terms, consequences of poor food safety and hygiene, and practical activities to prevent and control hazards.

Course Overview

Format

Level 1
1-2 Study Hours
Online Study
Self-Printed Certificate

Accreditation

1-2 CPD Hours
CPD Certified

Course description

This Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene e-learning course is designed to introduce the basic principles of food safety and hygiene to anyone who is a beginner in an environment where food may be prepared or stored.

Please Note: Level 1 is an introductory course which is not suitable for food handlers. In order to meet legal requirements it is necessary for food handlers to complete the Level 2 (previously known as Basic) Food Safety and Hygiene Course.

Do you need to buy Level 2 training?

If learners are involved (or are going to be involved) with food preparation in a catering, manufacturing or retail capacity, they will need to undertake Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene training. Click the links below to see these courses.

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Manufacturing

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Retail

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Drinks Manufacturers

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene

If you are a manager or supervisor in a food business, you should do our Level 3 Food Safety and Hygiene for Supervisors course.

Cooking can be a richly rewarding experience, but it's important to know how be both hygienic and safe within a kitchen environment. The Level 1 Food Hygiene course is a great way to introduce beginners to food safety.

This may include cooking at home, work experience in a food environment, or self-development for those who have an interest in food handling. By completing this food hygiene course level 1, learners will understand why food safety is important, the importance of hygiene in the kitchen, and how to avoid contamination.

The material is provided in an interactive format that is designed to be engaging and accessible so learners can understand all the information given to them. However, as this is an introductory course for beginners, this course is not suitable for fulfilling the legal requirement for food handlers in the catering or hospitality industry.

This Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene e-learning course is designed to introduce learner to the basic principles of food safety and hygiene to anyone who is a beginner in an environment where food may be prepared, sold, served or stored. This course is also suitable for anyone who work in an environment where food is present or handled elsewhere and knows how to handle consumables properly.

This online food hygiene course level 1 will give learners a better understanding of why work area cleanliness is important, food poisoning risks and how food becomes contaminated and the steps in preventing contamination. Also allow you to learn more about hygiene safety and a better understanding of The Food Hygiene Regulations 2006.

Who should take this Level 1 Food Hygiene course?

This food hygiene level 1 course is a great introduction for those looking to work in the food environment, or those who want more knowledge on food hygiene and food safety. This can include Bar worker, Checkout staff, Food delivery drivers, Front of House staff, General Grocery Staff, Kitchen porters, Waiters, Warehouse Staff, Shop assistants and students at school or university.

The aim of this online food hygiene course level 1 is to provide guidance on food hygiene safety and awareness, for anyone working in Catering, Hospitality, Manufacturing or Retail environment. This course will ensure that staff are equipped with a basic knowledge and understanding of food hygiene safety, food hazards such as allergens and best practice for food hygiene.

Food handlers or anyone working in and around food have a duty to comply with the provisions of Food Hygiene Regulation and the Food Safety Act.

The Food Hygiene Regulations 2006

The Food Hygiene Regulations 2006 are widely considered to be the most important food safety and hygiene regulations in the UK, and it’s important to note that they go a step further than the Food Safety Act 1990 by specifying that all food businesses have a legal obligation to ensure that they prepare and serve food in a safe and hygienic manner. The regulations make it an offence for businesses to supply food which is not safe to be eaten and is potentially harmful to the health of customers, and also specify that:

All food producing businesses must register with the relevant authorities
Food should always be labelled correctly and should meet all the relevant quality standards
Premises used for the preparation or sale of foods are designed and constructed in a way that permits good hygiene
Food businesses should have suitable pest control measures

What is covered in this Level 1 Food Hygiene course?

Our Level 1 Food Hygiene online training course has been made to give an introduction to the topic for those working with pre-packaged food.

Module	What it includes
Introduction to Food Safety	An introduction to the basic principles of food hygiene including the different setting food is handled in, the consequences of poor food hygiene, the benefits of good food hygiene, personal food hygiene responsibilities and the different types of hazards. This modules also looks at foodborne illness and the causes of it, the symptoms of it and vulnerable groups of people who are at greater risk of it.
Hazards, Contamination and Controls	This section of the course looks at the different types of contamination and hazards including microbiological contamination and cross-contamination hazards, how to control bacterial growth with time and temperature controls, how to store food safely and your responsibilities. The module also includes information on stock rotation, how to handle food and reporting hazards.
Personal Hygiene	Personal hygiene is extremely important when it comes to food hygiene and this section looks at personal responsibilities, hand washing, the need for thorough hand washing, protective clothing, personal appearance, personal habits and behaviour and reporting illness and injury.
Cleaning and Hygienic Premises	It is essential that food premises are kept clean and hygienic to ensure food safety to ensure this the module looks at cleaning processes, using chemicals, waste disposal and methods of pest control.

Training outcomes

By the end of the course learners will:

Understand food safety terms commonly used when discussing industry practise
Understand the consequences of poor food safety and hygiene
Know about practical activities to prevent and control hazards
Understand why personal hygiene is so important
Be able to keep surfaces and equipment hygienically clean

Accreditation

The content of this course has been independently certified as conforming to universally accepted Continuous Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.

Course duration

Approximately one to two hours. The length of time taken depends entirely on how quickly learners can study and absorb the material. Learners can proceed as quickly or slowly as they like.

Entry requirements

There are no entry requirements for this course.

Test and certificate

The end of course test consists of 15 multiple choice questions. Learners are required to achieve a 75% pass mark, and, if necessary, may attempt the test six times at no extra cost.

If learners do not achieve the 75% pass mark, further attempts may be given by contacting our support team.

Learners will be able to download a digital certificate on completion. This can be printed, and we suggest you keep it for your records.

You will learn

Understand food safety terms commonly used when discussing industry practise

Understand the consequences of poor food safety and hygiene

Know about practical activities to prevent and control hazards

Understand why personal hygiene is so important

Be able to keep surfaces and equipment hygienically clean

Who is it for?

Roles including:

Bar workers

Checkout staff

Food delivery drivers

Warehouse staff

Front of house staff

Waiters/Waitresses

General grocery staff

Shop assistants

Level 1 Food Hygiene FAQs

How long does a Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene course take?

Usually, this course takes 1 – 2 hours, but there is no rush.
Take your time to absorb the content, revisit modules, and take a break so that you are confident you have understood each area well. Then, when you’re ready, you can complete the assessment and get your certificate for Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate.
What is Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene?

Our Level 1 Food Hygiene certificate is intended for learners working in low-risk roles, but where there is an element of food handling. It helps you understand the importance of food hygiene and safety as well as recognise the ill-health issues that poor food hygiene can cause.
Who needs Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene?

Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene is for all staff who work in food production or retail business and who handle low risk or wrapped foods. This could include bar workers, waiting staff, health care workers, kitchen porters and stock/store room staff.
Level 2 is required for anyone who works in a catering, manufacturing, or retail setting where food is prepared, cooked, and handled.
Level 3 is aimed at supervisors, managers, or business owners working in the food industry. As for Level 2 above, it would also apply in a variety of settings including catering, manufacturing, and retail but to those with a responsibility for a team of people.

How the online courses work

Find a course

To begin searching for your online training you can click on the course category section on our website and browse through all of our training categories.
Alternatively if you already know the title of the training you’re looking for you can use the search bar located in the centre of the homepage and go directly to the course you want.
Buy the course

When buying one of our courses, you will need to enter a valid email address which will be used to create your account with our Learning Management System – Enable – where you will take the training. We will also send your purchase receipt to this email address, and any additional courses purchased in future using the same email address will be added to your system account.
Once you have purchased a course, you will be able to send this course to other people using your system account with Enable by entering the new learner’s email address so that they may access the training and set up their own system account with our Learning Management System.
If you are not 100% satisfied with your course then we offer a 30-day, no hassle money-back guarantee. To request a refund, you should email our learner support team with your receipt stating why you would like to be reimbursed. You, or your learners, must not have completed the training in order to make a valid refund claim. Any claim made after the training has been completed will be invalidated.
Take the course

This online course consists of a series of pages in which an instructor will talk learners through the lesson material. Pages may include supporting pictures, graphs, animation or extra sounds to help with the learning where appropriate. Some lessons will include challenges/quizzes to help learners stay engaged and interested in the material. Lessons can be taken in any order and each lesson may be paused and resumed at any stage.
The course is self-paced so learners decide how fast or slow the training goes. There is no deadline for completion but some of our courses have a test at the end to check that learners have understood the material. If the course has a test at the end then learners are required to achieve a 75% pass mark to successfully complete the course. Once learners have passed the test they are awarded a certificate, which can either be downloaded digitally or sent as a physical copy if this option was chosen when purchasing the course.
Your Certificate

Upon completion of any of our courses, learners will be able to download a digital certificate from Virtual College and will include the accrediting bodies logo where applicable.
If you have bought the posted certificate option (available on select courses), a high quality, seal embossed, certificate will be sent out at the beginning of the following working week.