Food Hygiene Certificates

Getting a food hygiene certificate could not be easier. Simply purchase one of our online food hygiene courses and, after completing the course, you will be able to instantly download your food hygiene certificate. You can also receive a printed version of your certificate for a small additional fee.

Most food hygiene certificates, including those issued by Commodious, have no expiry date.

However, it is recommended that all food handlers retrain after three years to make sure they still have the knowledge and skills required to handle and prepare food safely.

For more information on food hygiene certificate renewal, click here to visit our knowledge bank.

Our Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety courses consist of a wide range of information, and take around 3 hours to complete. We also offer a Food Hygiene Level 1 course, which takes 55 minutes to complete.

The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and The Food Hygiene Regulations 2006 (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) require that all food handlers are appropriately trained and supervised. While a food hygiene certificate is not legally required to prepare or sell food, they are a great way of gaining and demonstrating that you have an understanding of food safety, and possess the knowledge and skills required to safely handle food.

Getting a certificate can also provide learners with the knowledge required to improve and maintain a business' food hygiene rating.

For more information, click here to view our knowledge bank article on food hygiene training FAQs.

No, learners do not need to have completed a food safety course before taking any of the food hygiene training offered by Commodious. The levels of each course indicate how in-depth the information that the course covers is.

Yes, all of our food safety courses have been endorsed by the Institute of Hospitality, which demonstrates that they are high quality products and are appropriate for the food industry. They have also been certified by the CPD Certification Service as a further indicator of the quality of our courses.

No, you do not legally require a food hygiene certificate if you infrequently sell food from home. However, if you register as a business, you will be required to take appropriate food hygiene training to ensure that the food you sell is safe to eat and will not cause illnesses such as food poisoning.

Depending on the size and nature of your business, you may be required to create a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP. There are a number of resources that can be used to help with this, including our HACCP Principles course and the Food Standards Agency's Safer Food, Better Business guide.

For more information on some of the other things you may need to consider while running a home-based food business, have a read of our articles on:

• Commercial home baking and cooking
• Shipping food by post
• Calorie labelling requirements
• Food allergens and allergy labelling

Good food hygiene is important because it ensures that the food you produce and serve is safe to eat, and it helps to prevent food poisoning and other food-borne illnesses.

There are several things to remember to maintain good food hygiene, such as the 4 Cs (cooking, cleaning, chilling, cross-contamination). These are all covered in our food safety training courses shown above.

If you are interested in reading more about food hygiene, we also have several knowledge bank articles that explore aspects of food hygiene, including:

• Can You Reheat This? A Comprehensive Guide
• Food Storage, and a Guide to Cooling and Chilling Food
• Good Refrigerated Food Storage Practice
• Colour Coded Chopping Boards
• What Food Can You Cook From Frozen?
• What is the Correct Temperature for Frozen Food Storage?

When you have completed your food hygiene training, you can download and print your certificate at any time using our online learning management system. You can also choose to purchase a printed copy of your certificate, which will be embossed and sent to you once you have completed the course.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is run by the Food Standards Agency, in partnership with local authorities, who inspect the hygiene standards of food businesses and provide them with a rating between 0 and 5, with 5 indicating that a business has very good hygiene standards, and 0 indicating that urgent improvement is required.

For more information, click here to view our knowledge and article on food hygiene ratings.