What Our Certificates Are
What our certificates are and are not: private certificates of completion, not regulated qualifications, and not endorsed by any regulator or awarding body.
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What a certificate is
- A private certificate of completion
- A record that the named person completed the course and passed its online assessment
- Checkable online by anyone who has the certificate code
What a certificate is not
- Not a regulated qualification
- Not on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) or the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)
- Not endorsed by the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, local authorities, Environmental Health Officers or any awarding body
- Not a legal requirement: no UK law requires a specific certificate or level
- Not a guarantee that an employer or inspector will accept it
- Not a replacement for supervision and practical instruction at work
What "Level" means
"Level" describes how deep the course content goes. It does not mean a level on the RQF or SCQF. A Level 2 course goes deeper than a Level 1 course, and so on. Our course levels are not comparable with levels on a qualifications framework.
What the law requires
UK food law says food handlers must be supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work. No law requires a specific certificate or level, and certificates have no legal expiry.
Who decides what you need
The employer decides what training each role needs. Please check with your employer before you buy. Inspectors look at whether food is handled safely and how staff are trained and supervised. A certificate on its own does not show that a business complies with the law.
Refresher dates
We suggest refresher training about every 3 years. UK law sets no expiry date for food hygiene training. Your employer may set its own refresher policy, and you may need training sooner if your role, your duties or your workplace procedures change.
How to verify a certificate
Scan the QR code on the certificate, or enter its code on our verification page. You will see the holder's name, the course, the issue date and whether the certificate is valid or revoked.