Level 2 Food Safety Open Course

Description

Who needs it

Anyone working where food is prepared, cooked or served. Kitchen and catering staff, front of house handling unwrapped food, care homes, schools, nurseries, hotels, pubs, takeaways, retail delis and food manufacturing.

If someone never touches open food and works only with wrapped goods, the shorter Level 1 course is the proportionate answer. If someone supervises others or owns the food safety management system, they need Level 3.

What the law actually says

Worth knowing before you buy anything, because a lot of food hygiene marketing implies the opposite. The law does not require a Level 2 certificate. It does not name any qualification at all.

Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter XII requires food handlers to be “supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity”. Separately, anyone developing or maintaining HACCP-based procedures must have had adequate training in applying them.

So why does everyone buy Level 2? Because it is the recognised way of evidencing that duty. Environmental health officers know it, your food hygiene rating inspection asks how staff are trained, and clients and insurers ask for it. The certificate is evidence, not the requirement itself. We go through the whole question in do I need a Level 2 food hygiene certificate?

What the course covers

• Food safety and the terminology that goes with it
• The law, and what it actually asks of a food handler
• Food safety hazards: microbiological, chemical, physical and allergenic
• Taking and recording temperatures
• Refrigeration, chilling and cold holding
• Cooking, hot holding and reheating
• The food handler’s own responsibilities, including fitness to work
• Principles of safe food storage
• Cleaning, and why a clean surface and a disinfected one are not the same thing
• Food premises and equipment

Two numbers from the day that people remember and use. 8°C is the legal maximum for chilled food in England under the Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995, which is a limit rather than a target, and most operations run their fridges at 0 to 5°C. And 70°C for two minutes at the core is the reference for thorough cooking.

Allergens get proper attention, because they are a legal duty in their own right rather than a nice-to-have. We set out what you actually have to do in the 14 allergens.

How you are assessed

A 30-question multiple choice paper at the end, with a pass mark of 20. The six hours are built so that if you engage with the day, the paper is straightforward. There is no practical assessment, which is why an online route is a legitimate option for this subject in a way it is not for first aid.

Your certificate

There is no statutory expiry on a food hygiene certificate. That surprises people. Refreshing every three years is a convention rather than a legal deadline, but it is the convention inspectors, clients and insurers expect to see, so treat it as the working rule.

The awarding organisation is named on the certificate. If you need to check which body issues it before you book, ask us. We explain the difference between a regulated qualification and a certificate a training company has printed for itself in how to check a qualification is accredited.

Open course, group course or online?

	Open course	Group course	Online
Charged	Per person	Per course	Per person
Where	Bolton	Your premises	Anywhere
Best for	One or two people	A kitchen team	High turnover, or fitting round shifts
Examples used	Mixed group	Your own kitchen and your own hazards	Generic

For a team, the group course at your own premises is usually cheaper per head and lets the training use your kitchen rather than a generic one. If self-paced study suits your staffing better, there is an online Level 2 course. We work through which is cheaper for your numbers in how much does training cost.

Where it fits with HACCP

Level 2 teaches a food handler their part in a food safety management system. It does not produce the system. Every food business must have permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, which is a separate duty on the business rather than on the individual, and we explain it in what is HACCP.

If you are the person who owns those procedures, Level 3 is the course that covers implementing and supervising them.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Level 2 food hygiene certificate a legal requirement?

No. The law requires food handlers to be supervised, instructed and trained commensurate with their work, and names no qualification. Level 2 is the recognised way of evidencing that, which is why it is expected almost everywhere.

How long is the Level 2 Food Safety course?

A minimum of six hours, normally delivered in a single day, followed by the exam.

What is the pass mark?

Twenty correct answers out of 30 multiple choice questions.

How long does a food hygiene certificate last?

There is no statutory expiry. Refreshing every three years is the convention and is what inspectors and clients expect to see.

Do I need Level 1 first?

No. Level 2 has no entry requirements and most people come straight to it. Level 1 suits roles that never involve open food.

Where do the open courses run?

Bolton. If a single place at a Bolton date does not work for you, a group course at your own premises is often the better answer, and we deliver those across Greater Manchester.

Will this improve our food hygiene rating?

Staff training is part of what an inspector considers, but the rating covers your whole operation: hygiene, structure and confidence in management. A certificate helps. It does not carry the rating on its own.

Is the online version the same qualification?

It covers the same ground and is a legitimate route for a knowledge-based subject like this one. The classroom course gives you a trainer to ask and, on a group course, examples from your own kitchen.

Does it cover allergens?

Yes, as one of the four hazard types and as an information duty in its own right. If allergen handling is central to your business, read our guide to the 14 allergens as well.

Not sure whether your team needs Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3? Call 0845 838 4643 or use the enquiry form and tell us what they actually do with food.