Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Retail

Duration 2 hours

Last audited 13th March 2023

CPD Approved RoSPA Approved IoH Approved
Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Retail
For me
For teams
  • 100% online training

  • Start when you like

  • Learn on any device (desktop, mobile or tablet)

  • Instant assessment and result

  • 1 learner per course

  • Train teams of all sizes

  • Bulk discounts starting at 10% off 10 courses

  • Learn on any device (desktop, mobile or tablet)

£20 +VAT

include vat

Includes a 10% discount for 10+ courses

By law, anybody who works with food must understand the principles of food hygiene and know how to keep food safe. This is essential for those who work in the retail sector of the food industry who must ensure that they protect their food from hazards and their consumers from harm.

This Level 2 course has been written by experts in the industry to ensure that you satisfy this legal requirement and know how to keep your customers safe. The content thoroughly covers topics relevant to food retailers, including how to identify food hygiene hazards, control contamination, and work in a way that ensures all food prepared, handled, and sold is safe to eat. You will learn about your responsibilities through a range of retail-specific interactive exercises, written text, and video content. Upon completion of this training, you will be confident in your food hygiene knowledge and have all the skills you need to keep people safe and comply with food hygiene law.

100% online training

Access anywhere

Same day digital certificate

Printed certificate posted next working day

Full audio voiceover

Unlimited assessment attempts

Matches RSPH and CIEH level 2 syllabus

Meets UK and EU legal requirements for food handlers

Accepted by Local Authorities

Accredited by CPD, assured by RoSPA Qualifications and endorsed by the Institute of Hospitality

What you'll learn

By the end of this course, you will:

  • Understand your responsibilities, and those of your employer, under UK and EU food hygiene regulations, and be able to explain the principles of food safety management systems.
  • Identify microbiological, physical, chemical, and allergenic hazards and understand why it’s important to control contamination and how you can control it.
  • Understand safe practices around food storage for different types of food, be able to explain the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates, know how to maintain the cold chain, and understand how to carry out effective stock rotation.
  • Understand how to prepare and display food safely, including how to thaw, cook and cool hot food, how to display hot and cold food, and how to monitor food temperatures.
  • Be aware of the importance of personal hygiene, how to carry out proper hand washing procedures, and recognise when it's important to wash your hands.
  • Understand how premises should be designed to reduce hazards, and be aware of your responsibilities around cleaning and pest control.

Training you can trust

Why take this course?

Over 2 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the UK every year. The risk of illnesses from food increases when workers involved in the preparation, handling and serving of food do not have the information or training necessary to enable them to work safely and hygienically.

Food businesses have a legal responsibility to protect consumers from food that is damaging to health, from receiving food that is not of the nature, substance or quality which consumers expect and from food that is labelled, advertised and presented in a way that is false or misleading. Failure to comply with your duties and responsibilities as a food business may result in action being taken against you by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) or other enforcement agencies. Level 3 Food Hygiene and Safety in Retail training would be more appropriate for food business owners, managers and supervisory staff. This Level 2 training course is more suitable for staff in non-senior roles.

Employees involved in the preparation, handling and serving of food can be at risk of causing foodborne illnesses if the risks are not managed effectively. Food businesses must provide employees with information, instruction and training suitable to the work that they are carrying out. This will ensure that they understand the food safety legislation and practices in place, helping to protect the health and safety of themselves and others. By taking our Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Retail training course, employees will learn about food hygiene and the law, helping them to recognise and work towards best practice principles. The course will explain responsibilities, how to prepare, handle, store and serve food safely, as well as how to maintain high standards of food hygiene.

  • Course Content
  • Assessment
  • Suitable for

Module 1: Introduction to Food Hygiene and Safety

Key definitions, food handler training, The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, The Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) in Scotland.

Module 2: Food Safety Legislation

Food hygiene and the law, food safety management systems, employer responsibilities, enforcement of food safety law, legal notices, prosecution, due diligence.

Module 3: Microbiological Hazards

Microbiological hazards, food poisoning, bacteria, pathogenic bacteria, food spoilage, damaged packaging, high and low-risk foods, raw foods, controlling bacteria with temperature and time, cross-contamination, food preservation, toxins, viral contamination, preventing microbiological contamination.

Module 4: Physical, Chemical and Allergenic Hazards

Physical hazards, types of physical contamination, controlling physical contamination, chemical hazards, acrylamide, scombrotoxic food poisoning, controlling chemical contamination, allergenic hazards, the 14 named food allergens, anaphylactic shock, controlling allergenic contamination, allergen policy, allergen labelling laws, Natasha's Law.

Module 5: Food Storage

Suppliers and deliveries, food labelling, traceability, use by and best before dates, stock rotation, safe food storage, dry food stores, fruit and vegetable storage, chilled food storage, refrigerator temperatures, frozen food storage, freezing and thawing.

Module 6: Food Preparation, Service and Display

Thawing frozen food, cooking and reheating, taking food temperatures, cooling food, hot holding, cold holding, food service and display.

Module 7: Personal Hygiene

Food handler responsibilities, hand hygiene, hand washing procedures, protective gloves, further hygiene considerations, protective clothing, first aid kits, wounds and sores.

Module 8: Food Premises Design, Layout, Size and Suitability

Food handler responsibilities, food premises and the law, principles of design, pests, preventing pests, waste management.

Module 9: Food Premises Cleaning and Disinfection

Why do we clean?, cleaning and disinfection, cleaning schedules, safe cleaning, clean as you go, six stages of cleaning, cleaning food storage areas and chillers, cleaning public areas, food handling equipment, dishwashers.

Download Course Overview (PDF)

Once you have completed all of the online training material you will be able to take the online assessment. The assessment consists of 30 multiple choice questions with a pass mark of 80%. The answers are marked instantly so you will know whether you have passed as soon as you finish.

If you don’t pass the assessment you can review the course material and take the assessment again as many times as necessary at no extra charge.

The European Union Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs requires all food handlers to be appropriately trained in how to carry out their roles safely.

This Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Retail course ensures that you comply with this legal responsibility by providing learners with a thorough introduction to the correct food handling practices.

This course is suitable for food handlers who sell food that is not necessarily consumed straight away. This includes, but is by no means limited to:

  • Market stalls
  • Farm shops
  • Grocery stores
  • Supermarkets
  • Butchers
  • Bakers
  • Fishmongers
  • Wholesalers
  • Delicatessens
If you are a manager or supervisor in any of the above sectors, then our Level 3 Food Hygiene For Retail Course is more suitable for you.


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Certificate

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Continued support

Our friendly customer support team is happy to help at any stage of your training. Call us on 0333 006 7000 or contact support@highspeedtraining.co.uk, and we’ll do our best to answer any questions you may have. 

Additionally, have you seen our help page? It’s full of useful information to help guide you through your training experience.