Food Hygiene for Catering
Catering means large volumes, tight timings and food that often travels or is held before service. Training for caterers needs to focus on batch cooking, cooling, hot-holding and transport.
Recommended courses
A starting point for this kind of work. Your employer decides what your role needs.
Who this is for
- Event and contract caterers
- Care home and hospital kitchen teams
- School and workplace canteens
- Banqueting staff
Relevant topics
- Batch cooking and cooling
- Hot-holding and display rules
- Transporting food safely
- Allergen communication at events
Typical food safety risks
Slow cooling of large batchesBig pots of stews, rice and sauces cool slowly, which gives spore-forming bacteria time to grow. Cool food as quickly as possible, ideally within 90 minutes.
Hot-holding failuresFood at buffets or service counters can fall below 63°C. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, food may be displayed below 63°C once, for less than 2 hours, and must then be thrown away or cooled quickly to 8°C or below. Do not rely on this tolerance in Scotland, where hot food must be kept above 63°C.
Transport and off-site serviceTemperature control is easily lost in vans and at venues.
Vulnerable consumersCare settings serve people at higher risk of serious illness.
FAQs
Which course should catering assistants take?
Many catering assistants who handle open food choose Level 2 Food Hygiene, often with Allergen Awareness. Your employer decides what your role needs.
What about catering supervisors?
Level 3 Food Hygiene and HACCP Level 2 or 3 cover supervision and food safety management.
What allergen information does a buffet need?
Give allergen information for each item, not for the buffet as a whole. You can label each dish, or use a sign that directs customers to staff.
Are the rules the same in Scotland?
The core duties are the same, but some details differ. In Scotland, reheated food must reach at least 82°C unless this would harm its quality, and the FSS pack for caterers is CookSafe.
Our certificates are private training certificates of completion, not regulated qualifications. UK law does not require one specific food hygiene certificate. It requires food handlers to be supervised and instructed or trained appropriately. Employers decide what training each role needs, and a certificate does not replace practical instruction or supervision.