Level 2 Food Hygiene & Safety (Catering)

The Level Two Food Hygiene and Safety (Catering) course is for those looking to take the next step in their education of food hygiene and is for those who work in the food industry and frequently handle food.
Fully accredited

By CPD Group

Fast to complete

Duration: 2 hours

Instant Certificate

Upon completion

Legally compliant

With UK/EU regulations

About this course

The Level Two Food Hygiene and Safety (Catering) course builds upon the foundational knowledge of the Level One Food Hygiene and Safety course, but goes into further detail regarding the safe handling and preparation of food in the catering industry. It isn’t essential to do the level 1 course, but it is recommended.

Learners will find the course easy to navigate, informative and readily accessible due to its online nature. The Level Two Food Hygiene and Safety (Catering) is tailored towards those who have direct and frequent contact with food, and a central role in food preparation and handling.

The course takes roughly 1 – 2 hours to complete and the examination consists of 25 multiple choice questions which cover each of the three core sections (responsibilities, hazards, and hygiene). Once the exam has been passed, the student will receive their CPD Group accredited digital certificate instantly.

All UK regulations, guidelines and best practices have been followed to create the course content which works directly to educate learners, allowing them to fulfil their job roles safely and legally. When put into practice, the material in this course can help businesses achieve and sustain a high food hygiene rating for your business.

This course is fully accredited by The CPD Group.

Give yourself or your catering staff the essential knowledge in food hygiene and safety required by law, by booking this course today. Our high-quality courses are available at extremely competitive prices, and we offer discounts for bulk orders.

Not in the catering industry?

We offer this Level Two Food Hygiene and Safety course for other major industries too.

Choose an alternative industry from the list below:

If your industry isn’t listed separately above, then choose this catering version of this course.

Place order

£10.00 +VAT

Quantity Price Per Learner
1 - 9 £10.00
10 - 19 £9.50
20 - 49 £9.00
50+ £8.00

If you check this box it means that you wish to do a course yourself. By leaving the box empty it means you are buying the course for others and you do not wish to complete a course yourself.
Courses in this Group

Groups: You will be able to assign courses to yourself or others after payment.
SKU EFH001 Category

Choose a bundle for even better value

The Essential Food Handler Bundle contains one of each:

  • Level 2 Food Hygiene & Safety
  • Level 2 Allergy Awareness
  • Level 2 Health & Safety

£25.00 +VAT

Accreditations & Associations

Course FAQ

Who should take this course?

The Level Two Food Hygiene and Safety (Catering) course is for those looking to take the next step in their education of food hygiene and is for those who work in the food industry who frequently handle food.

Is this course accredited?

Yes, all of our courses are accredited by the CPD Group and all have the unique reference number with each course being awarded CPD points. Essential Food Hygiene are also members of RoSPA.

How and where do I complete the examination?

Like the course, the exam is conducted online. Once all sections of the course are completed, the learner can begin the exam. The exam consists of 25 questions, of which the learner must answer 22 correctly.  There is no time limit for the exam so learners can take their time.


How and where do I complete this course?

All of our courses are online courses, so they can be completed remotely as long as the learner has internet access and a computer.

Is there a time limit on this course?

The exam must be passed within 12 months of them being assigned the course. There is no time limit on the course material, so once the exam has been passed, students can freely come back at any time to view the course content and refresh their knowledge.

How is the course structured?

The course content is split into individual sections, with each section concluding in a mini quiz, which needs to be completed before moving onto the next section. Once all sections have been completed, you can proceed to the examination.

What happens if I fail the exam?

If the learner fails their exam, then they can retake it as many times as necessary (within the 12-month shelf-life of the course) at no extra cost. Once the course has been completed within the shelf-life period, the candidate gains unlimited life-time access to the course material should they wish to come back and refresh their memory.

What happens if I pass the exam?

Once the exam has been completed successfully, the learner will receive an online certificate instantly, which they can then download and print off.

How long will my certificate be valid for?

There is no specific law on when and how often you should refresh your training, however all UK local authorities and environmental health officers recommend that you refresh your training every three years to ensure you are versed with the most up-to-date guidance

How do I purchase multiple courses for my employees?

If you would like to buy any training for a number of your employees, first you need to select the course that you need. To do this, you need to go to our course page and click on the course that you want to buy. Enter the quantity of courses that you require and view the corresponding price. Then click the ‘Group’ option and enter your chosen group name. Once you have done this, please go to checkout to complete the purchase. Once you have completed your purchase, you will be directed to your group’s dashboard where you can assign courses to your employees.

What support is available if I have a question?

If any help is needed at any stage of your learning journey, all our learners are welcome to contract us. We are available to assist learners who require help, as well as those who are experiencing technical issues and need some advice. Please visit the Contact Us page, use our Live Chat function, or give us a call on 08009993868.


Course Syllabus

The course is as follows:

Section One: Expectations

The candidate will learn what their responsibilities as a food handler are, what their employer’s responsibilities are, in the eyes of the law, and what external bodies such at The Environmental Health do in order to ensure food is safe for consumers.

  • Expectations of a food handler: The candidate will learn what legislation they must know and respect when performing their job role, what due diligence is, and how to practice it.
  • Expectations of the employer: The candidate will learn what to expect from their employer and their employer’s responsibilities in having certain food safety processes.
  • Expectations of external bodies: The candidate will learn what to expect from external bodies and what they do in order to ensure consumers can expect safe food.

Section Two: Contaminating Hazards

In this section the candidate will learn how to define the terms contamination and cross-contamination and understand the threat and effect of contamination. They will learn about various contaminating hazards and what effect they have, as well as the necessary measures that need to be taken in order to prevent hazards from becoming dangerous and affecting the consumer.

  • About Microbiological Hazards: Here the candidate will learn about the various microbiological hazards that they may encounter in the workplace, how to define the terms helpful, spoilage and pathogenic bacteria and understand the nature of bacterial multiplication, how it can travel on vehicles of contamination, and how to detect bacteria.
  • About Spoilage Bacteria: The candidate will learn the characteristics of spoilage bacteria and how they can be harmful.
  • Preventing Spoilage Bacteria: The candidate will learn the precautions that they must take in order to stop spoilage bacteria from effecting the food they prepare.
  • About Pathogenic Bacteria: The candidate will learn the characteristics of pathogenic bacteria and how they can be harmful and what foods are high-risk and low-risk.
  • Preventing Pathogenic Bacteria: The candidate will learn how to prevent pathogenic bacteria from becoming dangerous.
  • Effects of Microbiological Hazards: The candidate will learn the consequences of a range of microbiological hazards, what the common causes of food poisoning outbreaks in the UK are, what food borne diseases are and will be able to describe at-risk groups.
  • Preventing the effects of Microbiological Hazards: The candidate will learn about conditions which make microbiological hazards dangerous, the terms high-risk and low-risk foods (with the ability to provide examples) how to control the danger level of microbiological hazards through various means including practical measures and the importance of reporting any potential hazards that they find in the workplace.
  • About Allergenic Hazards: The candidate will learn the threat of allergic food ingredients to allergy sufferers.
  • Effects of Allergenic Hazards: The candidate will learn how to identify the symptoms of anaphylaxis.
  • Prevention of Allergenic Hazards: The candidate will learn how to treat food in order to diminish the threat to people who suffer with allergies.
  • Responding to an allergic reaction: The candidate will learn what steps to take if an allergic reaction occurs and what the potential consequences of failing to act in the event of an allergy attack are.
  • About Physical Hazards: The candidate will learn common sources of physical contamination.
  • Preventing Physical Hazard: The candidate will learn prevention techniques regarding physical hazards.
  • About Chemical Hazards: The candidate will learn the common sources of chemical contamination.
  • Preventing Chemical Hazards: The candidate will learn how to prevent chemical contamination.

Section Three: Personal Responsibilities

In this section the candidate will learn what the consequences of poor personal hygiene standards or poor technique are and how to maintain good hygiene practice. By the end of the section the candidate will be able to identify their personal responsibility in making sure that they keep themselves as hygienic as possible as well as their legal obligation to behave in a hygienic way.

  • Hand Hygiene: The candidate will learn what facilities are necessary to ensure proper handwashing and how and when to wash hands.
  • Hair Hygiene: The candidate will learn and understand the necessary protocol for ensuring that hair does not pose as a hazard.
  • Protective Clothing: The candidate will learn why protective clothing is important for a food handler.
  • Habits and Manners: The candidate will learn what the hazards are associated with skin infections and the need for suitable dressings as well as other hazards that can occur the workplace as a result of the food handler themselves.
  • Reporting illness: The candidate will learn why reporting illness to their manager is important.

Section Four: Creating and Maintaining a Clean and Safe Workplace

In this section the candidate will learn how to create a clean and safe work environment and maintain it in congruence with the law. By the end of the section the candidate will understand how to organise a fridge and store food correctly, the importance of cleaning, how to clean effectively and the effect and deterrents of pests.

  • Food Storage and Organisation: The candidate will be able to use their knowledge of contaminants and cross contamination to understand how to organise a fridge correctly to limit the threat of contamination. The candidate will learn how to store food correctly to ensure it is safe to consume.
  • About Cleaning: The candidate will learn why thorough cleaning is so important to maintain in the workplace.
  • How to Clean: The candidate will learn how to approach cleaning, how to use various cleaning chemicals, how to clean equipment properly, how to treat waste and the role of scheduled cleaning services in the workplace.
  • Waste: The candidate will learn how to behave around waste and dispose of waste appropriately.
  • About Pests: The candidate will learn what threats pest pose to food.
  • Preventing Pests: how to deal with/deter pests.

Related Products