Complete Care Training
Food Hygiene & Safety for Food Handlers
Nutrition & Food SafetyLevel 1

Food Hygiene & Safety for Food Handlers

Making toast, reheating a plated meal, putting the shopping away, helping someone eat: food law counts all of that as handling food. And the people you support are the least able to cope when it goes wrong. In 2025, listeriosis incidence in England and Wales was highest in people aged 80 and over, and one outbreak traced to frozen desserts supplied to hospitals and care homes infected five people, four of whom died. This course gives you the figures you use on shift, for the fridge, for cooking, for hot holding and for reheating. It also gives you the judgement a catering course never covers: gift food with no label, a shared mini-kitchen fridge, an allergy the person can no longer tell you about, a texture level changed by a text message. By the end you will know what to check before you plate up, what makes food unsafe to serve, and who to tell the moment something looks wrong.

1 hour 19 minutes
Created by Sophie Barber Updated 10/2026 English
Part of Mandatory Training · Course 10 of 15
  • 100% online, any time
  • On any device
  • Accredited certificate on completion
  • Learn by doing
  • Storytelling built around your routine
  • Audio and alt text throughout
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What you'll learn

State the four Cs of food safety.
Identify safe temperature ranges for storing, cooking, and reheating food.
Describe the risks of cross-contamination and how to prevent it.
Recognise signs that food is unsafe to serve and state the correct reporting action.

Course content

5 modules

Why food safety law applies to care work, what a Level 1 food handler is responsible for, and the four Cs. You will state the four Cs and your own hygiene and illness-reporting duties.
The numbers you need: fridge and freezer temperatures, cooking, hot holding, cooling and reheating. You will identify safe ranges and state the checks to make before food reaches the person.
How bacteria and allergens spread between food, hands, surfaces and equipment. You will describe the main routes and list the controls, including two-stage cleaning and checking the care plan.
Signs that food is unsafe to serve, for anyone or for this person in particular. You will recognise those signs and state who to tell, what to record, and what to do if nothing changes.
The graded assessment for the course. Ten questions drawn from a 30-question bank, covering the four Cs, safe temperatures, cross-contamination, unsafe food and reporting.

Specialist

Sophie Barber

A qualified teacher, examiner and content creator, Sophie has over 10 years experience developing resources for examination boards to ensure that they are using effective learning tools. An ex-medic, Sophie has a huge passion for the healthcare profession and the importance of delivering quality care.

Training you can trust

How this course works. You will work through self-paced modules, check your understanding with knowledge checks, and finish with a short assessment. On passing, your CPD-certified certificate is available to download immediately, ready for your CQC evidence file or employer records.

Recommended renewal: every year. Your certificate is valid for 12 months. Skills for Care's minimum for most topics is every 3 years. Refresher periods by topic

Accredited by CPD

All of our courses are accredited by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to universally accepted Continuing Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.

Frequently asked questions

There is no deadline: a one-off purchase gives you lifetime access to the course, including updates, so you can complete it at your own pace across shifts.
Yes. Every course is accredited by the CPD Certification Service, and the certificate states the course, the level and the date you passed.
Yes. It works on phone, tablet and computer, and your progress syncs between them.
Your certificate is generated the moment you pass the final assessment, ready to download or print.