When running a food business or managing a team in hospitality, care, or catering, food safety compliance is non-negotiable. Every food handler needs proper training, and Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) expect to see up-to-date certificates on file.
However, keeping your workforce fully trained can quickly become a significant administrative and financial burden. Many training providers charge £20 to £25 per learner, adding challenging overheads to growing businesses.
At The Safer Food Group, we take a different approach. We believe that high-quality, fully accredited food safety training should be accessible and affordable for every business, from independent cafes to large national care home groups.
This guide breaks down our transparent pricing structure, volume discounts, and why our courses offer the best value for money in the UK.
£14.00 + VAT is the starting price for individual Level 1 and Level 2 course licenses at The Safer Food Group, compared to an industry average of £20 to £25 + VAT.
50% savings are available through our bulk volume tiers, reducing the cost of Level 1 and Level 2 training down to just £7.00 + VAT per course.
£75.00 + VAT is our starting price for Level 3 Food Safety Supervisory training, decreasing to £65.00 + VAT for volume purchases.
£56.00 + VAT is our starting price for Level 3 Food Allergy Management, decreasing to £28.00 + VAT for volume purchases.
City and Guilds Assured and CPD Certified: All core courses carry official accreditation, ensuring total compliance during EHO inspections.
Over 1 million learners across the UK have completed their food safety and hygiene qualifications through our video-supported online training platform.
We believe in complete pricing transparency. There are no hidden subscription fees, no extra charges for downloading certificates, and no penalty costs for test retakes.
All of our core Level 1 and Level 2 online video courses share the exact same low-cost pricing tier structure:
Volume discount tier rates:
Developed specifically for head chefs, kitchen managers, supervisors, and business owners responsible for maintaining food safety management systems (HACCP) and supervising staff hygiene practices.
Lower prices do not mean compromised features. Every course purchased through The Safer Food Group includes complete access to:
We specialise exclusively in food safety and hygiene education. By using modern video learning technology and running efficient automated admin portals, we keep our operating overheads low and pass those savings directly to food businesses.
Course codes remain valid for 1 year from the date of purchase. This gives businesses plenty of time to assign codes to new starters or upcoming staff refresher courses while taking advantage of volume purchasing opportunities.
None whatsoever. Your initial payment covers the complete learning materials, free unlimited exam retakes, instant PDF certificates, and full use of the admin tracking dashboard.
Under UK food safety law (EC Regulation 852/2004), food business operators must ensure that all staff handling food are supervised and instructed/trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity. A Level 2 certificate is the accepted UK industry standard for food handlers.
Whether you need a single certificate for a new team member or want to set up bulk corporate credits across multiple sites, getting started takes less than two minutes.
👉 Explore our Level 2 Food Hygiene course and claim your volume discount today
To help you evaluate the best option for your business, here is how our Level 2 Food Hygiene pricing and feature set compare against other major UK online training providers:
| Provider | Single License Price | Bulk Tier Price (100+ Units) | Core Accreditation | Format |
| The Safer Food Group | £14.00 + VAT | £7.00 + VAT | City and Guilds Assured and CPD | Interactive Video |
| High Speed Training | £20.00 + VAT | £15.00 + VAT | City and Guilds Assured and CPD | Text and Graphics |
| Virtual College | £16.00 + VAT | £12.00 + VAT | CPD Certified | Slide-Based Text |
| iHasco / Hub Events | £25.00 + VAT | £18.00 + VAT | CPD Certified | Video |
More than 50,000 UK food businesses are currently trading without ever receiving a formal food hygiene inspection. Recent Food Standards Agency (FSA) data reveals that 8.6% of the country’s 613,310 registered food outlets are stuck in an inspection queue due to severe recruitment and retention shortages among local authority Environmental Health Officers (EHOs).
While large supermarket chains report an inspection wait rate of 2.4% (383 premises), independent operators and hospitality businesses face a much greater delay. Caterers lead the backlog with 11,424 uninspected premises, followed closely by 10,166 restaurants and cafés, and 9,942 smaller retailers. (FSA Data, 2026).
The backlog isn't the only operational challenge facing independent businesses. Analysis of the FSA's FHRS statistics highlights a sharp performance gap between large corporate chains and independent outlets once an inspection actually takes place:
| Business Type | Failure / Low Score Rate (0–2 Rating) | Primary Operational Challenges |
|---|---|---|
| Smaller Retailers & Independent Outlets | 5.6% | High staff turnover, inconsistent induction procedures, gaps in reporting data, e.g. temperature records |
| Supermarket Chains | 2.2% | Standardised national auditing, dedicated internal compliance teams |
Takeaway and sandwich shop operators consistently underperform compared to other sector categories. In fast-paced hospitality environments with high staff turnover, treating food safety training as a one-off onboarding exercise can contribute to compliance failures when EHOs perform unannounced spot checks.
In response to the challenges highlighted above, and in order to keep pace with sweeping changes in how food is produced, bought, and sold, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is progressing plans for a major regulatory overhaul. Following extensive consultation with over 1,200 stakeholders, the FSA Board confirmed that while local authority food teams remain the "backbone of food safety," the overall regulatory framework must adapt to support local delivery and modern business models.
The detailed design phase focuses on these key areas:
So what does this mean to your food business? When staff change frequently, key food hygiene routines can slip and bad habits replace good practice. Because EHO visits can happen at any moment without warning, waiting for an inspection notice to review your processes is a major operational risk.
Historically, some food operators have relied on their local authority inspection team for regular, hands-on advice. With accessibility to EHOs becoming less straightforward, businesses are naturally wanting to become more proactive in their approach to food safety and team training. Here are some useful tools for forward-thinking food businesses wanting to get ahead of the game:
Instead of relying purely on annual refresher courses, run micro-briefings during daily briefings. Focus on one specific operational issue or standard per briefing (e.g., correct handwashing technique, allergen matrix checks, or cooked food cooling times) and ask a team member to demonstrate it live.
To keep refresher sessions simple and structured, supervisors can use The Safer Food Group’s Resource Centre. Built specifically for busy kitchen teams, the Resource Centre provides:
Ensure new hires complete core hygiene training prior to their first shift on the kitchen floor. Combining accredited, industry leading training with peer shadowing from an assigned "Hygiene Champion" ensures consistent good practice across all shifts.
Understanding the EHOs audit process helps you anticipate any issues that may be identified and deal with them in advance of an inspection - planned or otherwise! The Safer Food Group has created a free course to deal specifically with this subject - as well as breaking down the inspection process into its three component parts, our How to achieve a 5-rating' course includes a set of checklists to help you 'walk the business' with a critical eye, and put an effective action plan in place. And even better - the course and checklists are completely free.
When an EHO enters your premises, having certified, competent staff, fit-for-purpose premises and solid processes and documentation is what stands between your business and a damaging low rating.
SFG offers complete support for food safety compliance:
The Safer Food Group has officially been awarded City & Guilds Assured status. Following a comprehensive and rigorous audit of our entire training programme (evaluating everything from course content and delivery, to accessibility and learner support), City & Guilds has verified that our programmes meet their exceptional standards for vocational training.
This recognition places The Safer Food Group in an elite category: we are now one of only two training providers in our sector to hold this level of external assurance.
In the food industry, compliance and high safety standards are business-critical. However, HR and Training Managers rarely have the time to audit every external course line-by-line. City & Guilds Assured acts as a third-party guarantee. It removes the guesswork from your procurement process, ensuring that every pound of your L&D budget builds genuine capability across your workforce while safeguarding your business against compliance risks.
The Safer Food Group is a leading UK provider of digital food safety, hygiene, and compliance training. Built on the philosophy that high academic standards, intuitive digital delivery, and exceptional value should go hand in hand, we equip thousands of food sector professionals and businesses with practical, audit-ready skills every year.
City & Guilds is the global skills partner, empowering people, organisations and economies to develop the skills they need for growth. With almost 150 years of trusted expertise, City & Guilds supports people into work, helps them develop on the job and move into the next job. City & Guilds’ solutions span critical sectors including construction, engineering, transport, energy and electrical, serving over 1 million learners annually. Through their comprehensive portfolio of brands and trusted global network, they set industry-wide standards for technical, behavioural and commercial skills to improve performance and productivity.
"Quality and accessibility have always been at the core of what we do at The Safer Food Group. Securing City & Guilds Assured status validates our relentless focus on academic standards. Employers don't have time to audit every course on the market; this partnership gives them total peace of mind that an organisation with unrivalled expertise in vocational training has already done that work for them."
-Jonny Green, Academic Officer, The Safer Food Group
"Congratulations to The Safer Food Group on achieving City & Guilds Assured status. This recognition reflects a strong commitment to quality, learner experience and continuous improvement, and we are delighted to support an organisation committed to raising standards across the food safety sector.”
- Mandy Smith, Executive Director, Awarding & Assessment Customer Solutions, City & Guilds
Breaking news about hospitalisations in the UK as a result of Salmonella infection in eggs serves as a stark reminder of why strict food safety standards matter. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has highlighted a major Salmonella outbreak in August 2026 that has affected over 200 people across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, resulting in high hospitalisation rates and a death linked to imported eggs.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ OUTBREAK SNAPSHOT (UKHSA) │
├────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┤
│ Confirmed cases │ 207 across the UK │
├────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ Hospitalisation rate │ 38% of affected individuals│
├────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ Severe complications │ Bloodstream infections │
├────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ Primary suspect │ Eggs imported outside UK │
└────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘
Health officials urge households and commercial caterers to check their eggs for the British lion mark and its accompanying producer code. Salmonella causes severe gastroenteritis, with symptoms including fever, stomach cramps, vomiting, and severe diarrhoea. While it is dangerous for anyone, it poses an extreme risk to vulnerable individuals, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
The red lion symbol guarantees that eggs were produced under the British Lion Quality Code of Practice. This scheme requires compulsory vaccination of laying hens against Salmonella, full supply chain traceability, and strict hygiene controls from farm to kitchen.
With public health investigations revealing that over 80% of affected individuals ate food prepared outside the home prior to falling ill, with multiple cases traced back to commercial venues using imported wholesale eggs, catering businesses face heightened scrutiny.
For restaurants, care homes, hospitals, and school caterers, this highlights key compliance steps:
Verify your supply chain: Ensure your food suppliers deliver eggs stamped with the red British lion mark and an individual 8-digit producer code. Imported eggs do not share the same strict vaccination and auditing safeguards as the British Lion Quality Code.
Follow latest FSA and UKHSA rules for runny eggs: Guidance issued by the FSA on 21st August 2026, in relation to this outbreak, warns that under cooked or runny eggs should not be served to vulnerable people including under 5s, pregnant women, and those with health conditions. The public has been advised that well cooked eggs may be eaten by these groups in restaurants, cafes and takeaways.
Audit liquid egg products: If using bulk liquid egg mixes, confirm that the manufacturer uses pasteurised UK eggs to avoid cross-contaminating commercial prep areas.
Alongside checking for safety marks and provenance, understanding how egg dates are printed and interpreted is essential for both commercial food handlers and home cooks.
Best before date: This is a mark of quality, not safety. After the best before date, the food remains safe to consume, but its texture, flavour, or nutritional value may decline. Eggs carry a best before date (legally set to a maximum of 28 days from laying).
Use-by date: This is a mark of safety. You will find use-by dates on highly perishable foods such as fresh meat, chilled prepared meals, and dairy products. Consuming food past its use-by date poses a genuine health risk due to harmful bacteria, even if the item looks and smells normal.
BEST BEFORE USE-BY
[ Quality focus ] [ Safety focus ]
• Texture, flavour & taste • Micro-biological safety
• Safe to eat after date • Unsafe to eat after date
• Found on dry goods, eggs • Found on meat, dairy, fish
In professional catering, eggs require specific controls to prevent cross-contamination and bacterial growth:
Check for provenance and codes: Look for the red lion stamp and producer code to ensure eggs meet British quality standards rather than unverified imports.
Store under chilled conditions: Keep eggs refrigerated below 8°C in commercial kitchens to restrict bacterial multiplication.
Respect the best before limit: While best before dates usually relate to quality, commercial settings should avoid serving eggs past their printed date.
Avoid cracked or dirty eggs: Damaged shells allow bacteria on the outside to enter the egg interior.
Prevent cross-contamination: Always wash hands and sanitise surfaces or utensils after handling raw eggs before moving on to ready-to-eat foods.
Controlling foodborne pathogens like Salmonella, understanding date marks, and preventing cross-contamination are core elements of safe food preparation.
These principles form a fundamental part of The Safer Food Group Level 2 Food Hygiene course for Catering. Whether preparing food in a hospital, care home, restaurant, school, or café, obtaining accredited training ensures your team holds the knowledge required to keep consumers safe and maintain full regulatory compliance.
For catering professionals within the NHS and care settings, managing food safety risks is a matter of critical importance. A stark reminder of these operational complexities has emerged this June (2026), following an urgent investigation by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Low levels of Listeria monocytogenes have been detected in frozen, cooked chicken products imported from Brazil by Foodbridge EU and Foodbridge UK, and subsequently distributed to catering services—including the NHS and various care networks.
In samples tested to date, levels of listeria were within standard legal limits for general sale. However, any level of Listeria poses a risk to vulnerable groups.
Here is a summary of the situation, the immediate actions required, and how your team can remain prepared.
A major withdrawal has been initiated covering multiple frozen cooked chicken products (including diced, strips, and shredded chicken breast in plain, tikka, hot & spicy, and barbecue flavours).
Two specific concerns for care managers and NHS trust caterers regarding this recall are:
Listeriosis has an incredibly long incubation period; it can take up to 70 days after exposure for symptoms to develop. Care staff must remain vigilant and monitor residents for symptoms over the coming weeks and months if they suspect exposure.
While healthy adults may suffer only mild symptoms or none at all, Listeria monocytogenes is especially dangerous to populations heavily represented in NHS and care settings:
Check your food inventory: Audit your current frozen food stock against the latest withdrawal lists available from the UKHSA. NHS Trusts, Independent Sector Healthcare Providers, Social Care Providers (e.g. care homes), and any setting where care
is provided to immunocompromised individuals are instructed to stop serving the listed cooked chicken products
Consider cross contamination: If your setting is believed to have used these products, review your HACCP / food safety management system to evaluate if cross-contamination could have occurred on equipment, counters, or utensils during handling, and whether vulnerable people may have been exposed to them. This is especially important given the context of the potentially long incubation period of listeriosis.
Review your testing programme: NHS services are encouraged to regularly test high-risk ready-to-eat foods, and their local authority Environmental Health team must be informed of Listeria detected in food served to NHS patients
The UKSHA briefing note also contains specific information about diagnosis of listeriosis and management of exposed patients from high-risk groups
To help you better understand how Listeria behaves in care environments, we've pulled a few crucial insights from The Safer Food Group specialised Listeria training:
Transmission within care and health environments
Healthcare and clinical facilities can be complex operational layouts with high foot traffic, creating multiple opportunities for cross-contamination.
Structural & Equipment
Listeria monocytogenes actively multiplies at refrigeration temperatures. It exploits moisture and cold, specifically colonising:
- Resilient Seals: Rubber gaskets and joints on commercial refrigerators and freezers.
- Drainage Systems: Sinks, taps, gulleys, and floor drains where moisture pools.
- High-Touch points: Ward food trolleys, door handles, and temperature probes.
Human and Operational Movement
Pathogens use staff movement and equipment transport as primary transit routes. If "dirty" workflows (such as clinical waste disposal or linen management) intersect with "clean" workflows (such as ward food distribution) without rigorous hand hygiene and zoning protocols, the physical environment creates a high risk of cross-contamination.
Listeria Biofilms
One of the most complex challenges in clinical food safety is the formation of biofilms.
A biofilm is a microscopic, sticky matrix of extracellular polymers that acts as a physical shield for bacteria. Once Listeria establishes a biofilm within a structural defect, crack, or drain, it becomes highly resistant to standard surface wipes and superficial sanitisation.
While a standard clean may sanitise the surface layer, the underlying bacteria survive within the matrix, leading to repeated, cyclical re-contamination of the environment.
High-Risk Biofilm Sites:
- Damaged or cracked flooring and wall seals.
- Intricate equipment components (joints, exposed screws, and internal crevices).
- Continuously damp areas (evaporator plates, fridge interiors, and sink overflows).
Incidents like this remind us that food safety in healthcare isn't just about passing inspections; it is about saving lives. Knowing exactly how to spot high-risk foods, prevent cross-contamination, and protect vulnerable residents requires specialised knowledge.
Our tailored Understanding Listeria in Health and Care course is designed specifically for frontline staff in the NHS, health and care settings. It provides actionable, easy-to-digest training that ensures your facility stays compliant and your residents stay safe.
👉 Explore the Understanding Listeria Course Now
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued an urgent recall for several pre-packaged, ready-to-eat fruit products across major UK supermarkets. The alert, issued on 23rd June 2026 was triggered after supplier PrepWorld detected Salmonella during routine testing of apples and kiwi fruit used in their snack packs and fruit pots.
As a food safety professional, business operator, or consumer, understanding the scope of this recall and the risks associated with Salmonella in fresh produce is critical.
The affected products include various ready-to-eat snack lines, fruit pots, and fruit kebabs sold at leading retailers, including Asda, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
Because these are fresh, perishable items, the specific products involved carry use-by or best-before dates of June 23 or June 24 2026.
A breakdown of the affected stock by retailer includes:
Retailers are actively displaying point-of-sale notices in all stores selling these items to instruct consumers on how to return them for a full refund.
While Salmonella is traditionally associated with raw poultry, eggs, and unpasteurised milk, fresh produce is an increasingly common vehicle for foodborne illnesses. Fruit can become contaminated at multiple stages of the supply chain, including:
Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) typically affects patients as gastroenteritis. Symptoms include fever, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps, usually developing within hours to a few days after exposure. While healthy adults often recover with rest and hydration, the FSA emphasizes that vulnerable demographics - such as children under five, individuals over 65, and immunocompromised people -are at a much higher risk of severe illness or hospitalisation.
Staying informed on the latest FSA / FSS (or appropriate authority) recalls is a vital part of maintaining robust Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems. To learn more about HACCP systems and safe food handling, take a look at The Safer Food Group's accessible, straightforward online training courses.
Editor's Note, July 2026 Update: The Department for Education (DfE) has officially published its final statutory guidance, Allergy Safety in Schools, marking the formal enactment of the core mandates driven by Benedict’s Law. Ahead of the upcoming academic year, maintaining a whole-school allergy policy and ensuring comprehensive staff training is now a legal requirement for schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts (MATs) across England.
The Benedict Blythe Foundation was created following the tragic death of Benedict, who consumed milk, which he was known to be allergic to, at school. Weaknesses within the school's allergy policy are replicated throughout many UK schools, and the foundation has worked relentlessly to improve allergy safety in schools through research, legislative reform, advice and guidance.
The overarching aim of Benedict's Law is to improve safety of school children who have allergies. The percentage of children diagnosed with allergies continues to rise, with approximately 2-5% of UK schoolchildren now believed to have a known food allergy.
The campaign to improve allergy policy within schools preceded Benedict's sad death, but the principles that are being called for remain the same. Campaigners are fighting for:
Petition for Change: The BBF's petition, demanding stronger protections for pupils with allergies, gained over 13,000 signatures in two weeks.
Open Letter to Secretary of State: This was supported by over 40 organisations including medical institutions, charities, unions and industry representatives.
Prime Minister’s Questions: Benedict's story and the call for legislative change was featured in PMQs
Westminster Hall Debate: The campaign was debated in Parliament, with cross-party support,
The School (Allergy Safety) Bill: The formal proposal for legislative change was introduced into Parliament on 9 July 2025
The Schools Allergy Code: Driven by the lack of clear, consistent guidance, the campaign created resources including The Schools Allergy Code.
Amendment to Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: The introduction of the School (Allergy Safety) Bill was passed on 3rd February 2026.
Following relentless campaigning by the Benedict Blythe Foundation, the government's official Allergy Safety in Schools statutory guidelines are now active. The legislation shifts allergy management from an optional "best practice" recommendation to a mandatory legal compliance framework.
Under the finalised guidelines, school leadership teams have a legal duty to:
In direct response to the newly published DfE training specification, The Safer Food Group has fully launched our updated Level 2 Allergy Awareness for Schools course. This context-specific online course is built specifically for non-catering staff, ensuring that teachers, administrators, and lunchtime supervisors possess the skills and knowledge required to spot early anaphylactic symptoms and confidently deploy adrenaline devices.
To support school business managers and leadership teams facing budget pressures, our fully compliant training is currently available for a limited time at 50% OFF.
👉 Click here to view the course criteria, review the DfE statutory alignments, and secure your half-price training today.
We recognise that dealing with an emergency situation can be nerve-wracking - and preparing thoroughly for emergency scenarios is the best way to calm those nerves. To accompany our training, we have prepared a poster for any setting that details the process for administering an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) device. Print them off, put them up in frequently visited locations and give your team the opportunity to revisit frequently between training.
Ideally, AAIs should form part of mandatory first aid training. Dummy AAIs can also be obtained direct from manufacturers, to ensure that your team get the opportunity to practice with a genuine, but safe device. To order a trainer pen from Jext, follow this link, or to obtain a dummy EpiPen, email UKenquiry@viatris.com
Allergy UK offer comprehensive advice and guidance for schools, including a model allergy policy that considers the school environment in detail. Follow this link to view the policy: https://www.allergyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Model-Policy-for-allergy-at-school-v2.1-090124.pdf
For those responsible for compliance and training, fire safety often feels like a series of hardware checks: Are the extinguishers serviced? Are the fire exit signs up? Have we got enough fire blankets?
However, at The Safer Food Group, we believe that real safety isn't found in the equipment - it’s found in your people and your culture. As we launch our new Fire Safety Awareness training course, we look at three critical considerations when planning your own workplace fire safety.
Most serious incidents aren't the result of unstoppable fires. They are the result of predictable failures: a blocked fire exit, a propped-open fire door, or a "not my job" attitude toward housekeeping.
The Insight: We need to move away from reacting and toward proactive planning. Fire safety is about management responsibility. A fire is simply the trigger that exposes gaps in your supervision, planning or processes.
How our course helps: We focus heavily on Fire Risk Assessment fundamentals and Prevention. We teach learners how to identify fuel and ignition risks before they ever become a hazard, moving the focus from fire-fighting to fire-prevention.
Have you ever noticed that staff can pass a written test but still hesitate during a fire drill? That’s because most training focuses on knowledge rather than behaviour. Under pressure, people don’t default to what they read on a slide; they default to instinct.
The Insight: If staff don't have absolute clarity on their specific role, dangerous assumptions take over. Hesitation in an emergency is almost always a result of unclear plans and responsibilities.
How our course helps: Our unit emphasises role-based safety. We break down the specific responsibilities of responsible officers, fire marshals, managers / supervisors and all colleagues in the workplace, ensuring that when the alarm sounds, your team acts on clear procedures rather than panicked instinct.
We often focus on the physical elements of fire safety. While extinguishers are essential, they are useless if a staff member doesn't understand the correct use of the equipment or feel empowered to use it.
The Insight: Equipment supports safety - it doesn't create it. Leadership and supervision do. Policies don't determine outcomes in a crisis; people do.
How our course helps: We teach the use of fire-fighting equipment with a focus on decision-making. The most important lesson isn't just how to use an extinguisher, but when it is safe to do so and when the only correct action is evacuation. We view fire safety as a human system, not a technical one.
Our Fire Safety Awareness course includes a self audit, which encourages the learner to reflect on the course and relate their learning to the practical context of their own workplace. This moves learning from theory into practice, encourages the learner to practice scenarios in their heads and gives confidence to act appropriately in real emergency situations.
Compliance shouldn't be a headache; it should be your business’s greatest strength. By training your team to see fire safety as a collective responsibility, you protect your people, your property, and your reputation. Our new Fire Safety Awareness course is engaging, accessible, and designed to drive real-world changes in practice.
Our new training provides an introductory, awareness-level understanding that equips learners with:
Everyone. This course is a great foundation for every employee and volunteer across offices, hospitality, retail, healthcare, early years, and industrial settings. It’s for team leaders who promote safe practices and for small business owners carrying the full weight of fire precautions. When everyone understands their role, a workplace becomes significantly safer.
This course provides the first step to getting your team prepared for fire incidents. Make sure you risk assess and follow up with formal fire marshal training and more specialised input from fire experts where needed.
Click Here to Learn More & Enrol Your Team Today
International news sites have recently reported on the tragic case of two deaths and further hospitalisations, apparently caused by botulism in broccoli panini. Whilst some sites are treating this with a hint of amusement, there is certainly nothing funny about two preventable deaths. We look at what we know, how these cases might have been caused and what could have been done to prevent them
We know that the common food that was eaten by those who suffered from food poisoning was a sandwich made from sausage and a leafy green vegetable, cimi de rape (also known as broccoli rabe), from an Italian food truck. Jars of cimi de rabe were reportedly seized from the truck, but it is not yet clear who prepared or preserved the vegetable.
Update 15/08/25 - Following the seizure of cimi de rabe from the food van, the Italian Ministry of Health has also issued a recall of four Neapolitan-style friarelli (cimi de rabe) products under the brand names Bel Sapore and Vittoria
The patients suffered from botulism, caused by pathogen Clostridium botulinum present in the broccoli sandwich. This rare but very serious pathogen is found in soil, dust, and river and sea sediments. The pathogenic bacteria themselves can be destroyed by cooking, but poor storage can lead to the production of toxic spores, which are resistant to heat. In the UK, most cases of foodborne botulism are caused by homemade food that is improperly canned or preserved. Typically, this includes foods such as fruits, vegetables, honey and fish. Botulism is also often found in prepared garlic products.
As it is likely that the botulism was present in the preserved cimi de rabe, we can identify a few potential points at which the preservation process went wrong, allowing the pathogen to produce toxic spores.
If you are involved in food preparation or production, you will recognise these as Critical Control Points - events where good food hygiene practice and monitoring should be used to reduce or eliminate food safety hazards. For more information, take a look at our Level 2 HACCP course which helps food businesses create food safety management systems, based on HACCP principles.
Sadly, a woman in her 40s and man in his 50s have died following this outbreak and 17 more have been hospitalised. Clostridium botulinum is a highly dangerous pathogen that attacks the nervous system and can be fatal in 5-10% of cases. Fatalities are not restricted to typically vulnerable patients.
According to the NHS, initial symptoms can include vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhoea or constipation. Without treatment, the illness can attack the nervous system, leading to:
For more information on botulism, its causes and prevention, take a look at the FSA website
Photo credit: Adi Rahman via Unsplash
On 09/05/2025, the Food Standards Agency issued a food alert relating to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes in identified cheese products sold in Tesco supermarkets. The notice relates to La Superbe Raclette, produced by Castelli UK Ltd. The FSA advises consumers to return the product to stores for a refund, and not to consume.
Listeria, whilst not the most common pathogenic bacteria found in food, is certainly one of the most dangerous. Flu-like symptoms can include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea. Listeria infection can lead to serious complications requiring hospitalisation including meningitis and sepsis, and can cause death.
Listeria monocytogenes is a group of approximately 13 variations of pathogenic bacteria, which cause listeriosis in humans. The pathogens typically thrive in soil, water and faeces. They are notoriously hard to control because they survive a wide range of conditions, including cold temperatures and environments with no oxygen. Listeria pathogens can be denatured through cooking at suitable times and temperatures. Therefore the greatest risk of Listeria to consumers is via ready-to-eat or chilled foods that are eaten without cooking.
Listeria can be particularly dangerous to vulnerable groups including:
Follow the NHS guidance if you believe you or someone you know has listeriosis, particularly within these vulnerable groups.
If you have purchased La Superbe Raclette (150g) from a Tesco store, return it for refund - do not consume. Point of sale notices should be visible in stores giving further information about the recall.
Because of the characteristics of Listeria, manufacturers must pay particular attention to risk assessment of this pathogen. In particular, ready to eat foods present a particular risk, as no cook process will take place after purchase. A report by the Chilled Food Association (CFA) has produced specific guidance for the management of Listeria monocytogenes during food production of ready to eat foods.
The process detailed by the CFA combines a thorough risk assessment and HACCP process with a rigorous testing regime. As many raw ingredients used in food manufacture may have come into contact with Listeria, control here is crucial.
The CFA also recommend a rigorous testing programme as part of listeria control in a production environment. They point out that occasional positive results are not necessarily a negative, but can be a sign that monitoring is working effectively, and can be key to identifying problem areas and weakness in the process
Visual inspections and swabbing are useful in identifying potential problem areas and helping to reinforce staff training. The most important part of testing however, is a thorough sampling protocol, that begins with raw ingredients and continues throughout production, packing, storage and delivery. An action plan should be in place, and implemented upon discovery of pathogens above the levels dictated by EU Reg 2073/2005, as these are considered potentially harmful to health.
On 19th March 2025, reports emerged of a number of hospital deaths linked to Listeria monocytogenes. The source has been identified as a chilled dessert, produced by a manufacturer that supplies to hospitals and care homes. It is understood that these products are not available to end consumers via retail outlets.
At the time of reporting, listeriosis was certified as the cause of one death, with two other patients suffering from listeriosis at the time of their death. Two other patients are known to have contracted listeriosis. Crucially, the desserts were shown to carry listeria bacteria at levels below those considered safe for human consumption, so it is expected that further work will carried out by the UKSHA and FSA.
For further information on this case, see the BBC report
This is the second significant listeria outbreak to occur in the UK and NI in 2025. Earlier in the year, a significant list of dairy products produced by JOD foods were recalled, including cheese products.
Creating a strong food safety culture - the acceptance that food safety is the responsibility of all - is key to embedding the necessary systems and processes in a food business. A crucial part of this is providing good safety training at an appropriate level for every role.
The Safer Food Group offer accessible, engaging online training with a focus on practical knowledge that can be easily brought into the workplace. Courses include:
Level 2 Food Hygiene (Manufacturing)
This course equips food handlers with the basic knowledge they need to understand the importance of good food hygiene in a food production environment. It teaches practical skills including prevention of cross contamination, good personal hygiene and the importance of correct times and temperatures. It also informs food handlers of their personal legal responsibilities regarding food safety.
A comprehensive risk assessment process and resulting preventative measures are a crucial step in creating a safe food production environment. The Level 2 HACCP course introduces these principles and teaches all workers their role in upholding HACCP principles in their workplace.
The follow-on course from Level 2 Food Hygiene, Level 3 Food Supervisor addresses the principles of food safety in greater detail. It address the science of food hygiene in a clear and straightforward way, including a breakdown of various food poisoning pathogens. It also introduces some key principles of team management for those workers new to a supervisory role.
The Safer Food Group
Unit 2, Integrity House,
Lower Lumsdale, Matlock
DE4 5EX
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