The British Safety Council has launched new  regulated food safety qualifications that enable staff in the catering, food retail and food manufacturing sectors to learn how they can ensure excellent food safety standards.

The Level 2 Awards in Food Safety in Catering, Retail and Manufacturing enable staff in workplaces such as restaurants, bars, takeaways, shops and food preparation and manufacturing sites to learn how to take responsibility for food safety and keep the workplace clean and hygienic, in order that customers do not become ill from the food they purchase and consume.

The Level 3 Awards in Supervising Food Safety in Catering, Retail and Manufacturing provide supervisors and managers in the same types of premises with an essential understanding of how to implement and monitor good food safety and hygiene practices and ensure the business complies with food safety law.

The six qualifications [see below] are designed to be delivered by both large and small employers in the catering, retail and manufacturing sectors, independent training providers, schools, colleges and prisons, using learning materials provided by the British Safety Council.

The Level 2 qualifications are designed to be delivered in one day and the Level 3 qualifications in three days. The learners’ knowledge and understanding is then assessed by multiple choice examination.

Marianne Phillips, the British Safety Council’s products and services director, said: “With an estimated one million cases of food poisoning in the UK annually*, it is crucial that anyone producing, handling or selling food for consumption by the public understands how to maintain excellent hygiene standards to protect consumers’ health and ensure their business complies with food safety law.”

“Delivering our qualifications is very straightforward. Our online qualifications system allows users to purchase examinations and register and manage their candidates online. The results of online examinations are available immediately and paper-based examination results are typically available online within two working days following the return of the completed papers. Certificates are typically issued by post within only two to five days – faster than many other awarding organisations offering these same qualifications.

“Examination fees for the Food Safety qualifications start at just GBP5.50 + VAT per candidate, depending on the number of examinations purchased and the method of examination,” she added.


The six new qualifications are:

Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering
Level 2 Award in Food Safety for Manufacturing
Level 2 Award in Food Safety for Retail
Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering
Level 3 Award in Food Safety Supervision for Manufacturing
Level 3 Award in Food Safety Supervision for Retail

Organisations apply online for centre and qualification approval (in some instances, the fees for this may be waived) and pay fees per candidate according to a sliding scale.

Centres can deliver the learning using the PowerPoint slides and student notes supplied and use our online system to purchase online or paper-based examinations for delivery at a time of their choosing.

The British Safety Council is the only UK awarding organisation to offer a complete suite of health and safety qualifications from Entry Level to Level 6. Its qualifications are delivered by more than 600 approved centres in the UK and overseas, including employers, private training providers, colleges, schools and prisons. – TradeArabia News Service