A team that is well trained in food safety and hygiene is recognised as a key indicator of quality in a UK food business. The benefits of well trained staff speak for themselves - including reduced food poisoning and allergy incidents and a greater likelihood of a 5-star rating. And these benefits can lead to a better reputation and more customers. But we know that increasing pressures on food businesses mean owners and operators continually look for cost reductions. Perhaps a free food hygiene certificate could help?

At the time of writing, we could not find any genuinely free Level 2 Food Hygiene certificates for UK operators. Some training providers give free access to learning material, but then request payment for the resulting certificate. This seems like quite a dishonest offer. Once you've committed time to the learning material and passed the course, you are more likely to pay for a certificate, even if the quality of learning content is not up to standard. Having undertaken one of these courses, we can confirm that many vital areas of food safety were missed. These included:

• Contamination and cross-contamination
• Allergy awareness
• HACCP and FSMS
• Safe times and temperatures
• Premises design

There is often an easy way to spot these courses as they are usually advertised as 'Free Level 2 Food Hygiene course plus certificate'. Always read the details!

What free courses are available?

We did find some free courses offered by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), including a food allergy and a root cause analysis course. These courses are genuinely free - the food allergy course has some interesting information for food manufacturers, especially those in supervisory roles. Worth a look and no paid for certificate at the end! And some learning providers do provide free courses that supplement their course portfolio and offer extra help to their customers. An example of this is The Safer Food Group's free 5-star rating course which assists a food operator to undertake their own safety audit in preparation for an EHO visit.

And speaking of EHO visits... The FSA do not endorse any one food hygiene course - but you can be fairly sure that your EHO will spot a certificate issued by a less scrupulous provider. They will be keen to test that your team genuinely understand their roles and responsibility when it comes to keeping food safe. So, if you are going to invest staff time in training courses, don't waste it on poor quality versions.

How can I choose a good Level 2 Food Hygiene course?

Typically, online Level 2 Food Hygiene training in the UK costs around £10 - £25. A higher price is not necessarily a guarantee of better quality; good indicators of a quality learning course include:

• A range of delivery methods, for instance video, written content, learner interactions and quizzes.
• Engaging, professional appearance. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but bright, clean looking courses are easier to study and stick with.
• Content written by experts. Training companies with huge course portfolios sometimes struggle to offer the most up to date industry information.
• The opportunity to try before you buy. A training company that is proud of its courses will welcome the opportunity to show you some material.

So perhaps a more sensible question should be:

Why would I want a free hygiene certificate? 

A good quality, EHO approved Level 2 Food Hygiene training course is available for £12 + VAT from The Safer Food Group. Prices reduce even further for groups of 5 or more. The training takes approximately 3-4 hours for a new learner (experienced staff are likely to refresh their knowledge slightly quicker). Courses include video, fresh graphics, learner interactions and recap quizzes to allow the learner to test their knowledge. The Safer Food Group only delivers courses for the food industry so you can rely on their experience and expertise to train your team.

It's a small investment for the reassurance of having a team who understand and employ safe working practices, and the investment is rewarded by minimising the risks of food poisoning and allergy incidences.