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Food Hygiene Level 2 eLearning

Online food hygiene training to the Level 2 standard expected of food handlers: hazards, the four Cs, temperature control and the food safety management records behind them.

Price£15 + VAT
How longApproximately 30 to 45 minutes
Valid for3 years
WhereOnline, on any device
Chef in a commercial kitchen checking food temperature with a probe thermometer

Who it is for

Who this food hygiene level 2 course is for

Level 2 is the standard for people who handle open food as part of their job. It is the certificate most employers ask for, and the one most food handlers are expected to hold.

  • Chefs, cooks and kitchen assistants
  • Catering staff in care, education and healthcare
  • Hospitality and restaurant front and back of house
  • Retail staff handling open food
  • Mobile and event caterers
  • New starters in any food handling role

Course content

What the food hygiene level 2 course covers

Six short lessons covering hazards and the law, bacteria and food poisoning, personal hygiene, cross-contamination, temperature control, and food safety management, then a 12-question assessment.

1

Hazards, contamination and the law

The four food safety hazards, how food becomes contaminated, and the legal duties of businesses and food handlers.

2

Bacteria and food poisoning

What bacteria need to multiply, how fast they grow, spores and toxins, high-risk foods and common causes of food poisoning.

3

Personal hygiene and fitness to work

Handwashing, protective clothing, habits that contaminate food, and reporting illness.

4

Cross-contamination controls

Storage order, separating raw and ready-to-eat food, cleaning and disinfection, pests, and allergen cross-contact.

5

Temperature control

Delivery, storage, cooking, cooling, reheating and hot holding, and using a probe thermometer.

6

Food safety management

HACCP principles, critical control points, monitoring records and acting on a deviation.

Outcomes

What you will be able to do afterwards

  • Identify food safety hazards and the legal duties of food handlers
  • Explain how bacteria cause food poisoning and what they need to multiply
  • Apply personal hygiene and fitness-to-work rules
  • Prevent cross-contamination throughout storage and preparation
  • Control temperature at every stage from delivery to service
  • Explain HACCP principles and act on a monitoring record

Your legal duty

The law behind food hygiene level 2 training

Food businesses in England operate under the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, with equivalent regulations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Food handlers must be supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene matters appropriate to their work.

Level 2 is the level most food handlers are expected to hold. It is a convention of the industry and of enforcement expectations rather than a level named in the legislation itself.

  • Food Safety Act 1990
  • Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013
  • Equivalent regulations apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
  • Level 2 is the industry expectation; the law requires training appropriate to the work

Practicalities

How the course works

WhereOnline, in a browser: phone, tablet or computer
WhenStart straight after payment; pause and resume any time
How longAround 30 to 45 minutes, with no time limit on completion
AssessmentKnowledge checks in every lesson, then a 12-question assessment. Pass mark 70% (9 of 12), retake as often as you need
CertificateIssued when you pass the assessment, downloadable as a PDF
RefresherRecommended every 3 years

Would you rather have a tutor?

Allergen management is a separate subject with its own legal detail.

See the Food Allergens course

For employers

Food Hygiene Level 2 training for a team

Most kitchens need every handler certificated and the records to hand. An account covers new starters without a card payment each time.

  • One invoice instead of a card payment per person
  • Licences allocated as people join, so induction is covered
  • Completion and expiry reporting for your records
  • Renewal reminders before certificates lapse
  • Bespoke versions built around your own procedures

Food Hygiene Level 2 eLearning: common questions

Anyone who handles open food as part of their job. It is the level most employers and enforcement officers expect food handlers to hold.

No. The legislation requires training appropriate to the work. Level 2 is the industry convention for food handlers, and what most employers ask for.

Three years is the usual refresher interval in the food industry, and that is what this certificate reflects.

It covers the principles behind food safety management in outline. Running a HACCP-based system is a supervisory responsibility with its own training.

About 30 to 45 minutes, with no time limit. Start it, pause it, and come back whenever suits. The certificate is issued as soon as you pass the end assessment.

Yes. It runs in a browser on any modern phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install.

Yes. Open a business account and we invoice you for the licences, which you allocate as people need them, with completion reporting included.

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