How Long Does a Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate Last and How Do I Renew?

In the UK, by law:

'food business operators must ensure that food handlers receive the appropriate supervision and training in food hygiene, which is in-line with the area they work in and will enable them to handle food in the safest way'*

This can mean that food handlers acquire the skills and knowledge they need through supervision, self study, or using prior knowledge - but in practical terms, most employers and self employed food business operators rely on formal training to ensure their staff operate safely. The standard level of training expected for a food handler in the UK is the Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate (also known as Basic Food Hygiene or Food Safety).

Formal training has a number of advantages - employers can ensure that all team members have learned the same material, to the same standards, creating a common reference point and set of rules. Training courses usually include some kind of formative assessment, so both the learner and employer has an accurate indication of progress. Good training providers often offer a course handbook to take away from your training as reference material. And, once studied, training can be repeated on a regular basis, both to remind and embed knowledge and to introduce new information, for instance the latest legislation or good practice.

Employers also need to decide what format training should take. This is an important decision - the balance of factors including cost, convenience and effectiveness is key. For more information, we've considered the relative merits of different types of training in our blog, 'Which is better - Online or Face to face training'.

How Long Does a Food Hygiene Certificate Last?

Because food safety training is currently advised rather than mandatory, there is no specified validity for Level 2 Food Hygiene certificates. However, in order to keep up with the latest changes in legislation and best practice, it is generally advised by Environmental Health Officers and Practitioners (EHO/EHPs) that these type of courses are renewed every three years. To help you keep up to date with your team's training needs, The Safer Food Group offers businesses renewal data via your business admin dashboard, as well as timely reminders of certificates due to expire.

To renew your Level 2 Food Hygiene training with The Safer Food Group, click here and follow the link to our website.