Are you currently planning on opening a new restaurant? Do you already run an establishment but struggle to keep up with food safety legislation? If you work in a place that deals with food, it’s important that you have correct procedures in place and are complying with the most recent legislation and meeting current food hygiene laws.
We’ve taken a look at the main food hygiene laws that anyone working in the hospitality industry must adhere to and the best ways to make sure employees are fully trained and qualified.
Food Hygiene Laws
If you’re looking to set up any place that handles food, you need to be aware of which laws and regulations that you need to be in line with.
The first law that you have to meet is the Food Safety Act 1990. The Act states that you must treat any food made for human consumption in a controlled and managed manor.
This basically means that you have to make sure that nothing is included in or removed from the food that could be damaging to the consumer. It also states that food has to be labelled/presented in a way that isn’t false advertising or misleading, and the food has to meet the customer’s standards.
The Food Hygiene Regulations 2006 state that every restaurant must be able to show evidence and provide guides on how to correctly prepare or sell food, and it must be written down and available for employees. You must also be able to provide up-to-date documents/records showing the procedures and checks that your restaurant has. There must also be extra procedures put into place when handling raw food to control bacteria spreading and procedures must be reviewed and/or changed whenever you change the products you are selling or the way you prepare them.
The regulations that you have to adhere to can vary from the size of your business, but it’s best that you are compliant with all of them.
These regulations and laws have been put into place to ensure the quality of the food being served and to prevent any harm or risk to the customer. If your restaurant complies with these regulations and laws, you shouldn’t have any problems. This also means that the training and information given to your employees has to meet these standards though, and shouldn’t be treated lightly.
Training & Informing Employees
It is very important that all employees know and are aware of the risks of working in the hospitality industry. When you’re dealing with food, you are potentially putting the customer’s health at risk so it’s critical that your employees know how all the correct procedures.
Both employers and employees have a legal duty to manage food safety according to UK and EU laws, as we’ve seen. Anyone who handles food must make sure that the food that is prepared, cooked, served or sold is safe for the consumer. This is why training is so important.
Now when it comes to the training itself, you have a couple of options.
Self-Training
Your first option is to train them yourself. You can find multiple resources or videos online showing you how to prepare food and how to avoid risks, etc. However, doing it this way will not give you any certification and puts your business at risk.
Hire A Company
The next option you could consider is to use a training company. This is definitely a better option than training yourself, but is still not the best choice. By using a professional training group, you will receive the correct amount of training and be able to get your employees qualified. The negative to this option is it might require you to close your restaurant temporarily whilst your staff members are training, and it can take up a lot of time. This also isn’t the most cost friendly option, being an expensive route.
Online Training Courses
Your third option is where we come in. Online training courses are a new, cost effective and time efficient way of getting your employees fully qualified and ready to work in the hospitality industry.
The courses are aimed at anyone who handles food, whether you are a new employee with minimal food safety knowledge or a seasoned professional. One of the main benefits of doing the training online is that you can do it from anywhere. This means you don’t have to send staff members away, affecting the business in the process. They also take up less time; being able to pull employees aside and have them take the course.
The Level 1 Food Safety (Manufacturing, Catering & Retail) course takes around 50 minutes to complete and is suitable for everyone, from kitchen staff to waiters to food delivery handlers. The Level 2 Food Safety (Manufacturing, Catering & Retail) course takes around 75 minutes to complete and is perfect for anyone working in pubs, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and even hospitals. The Level 2 course contains the same modules as Level 1, but goes more in depth.
You’d be surprised at how many different people in the industry need this training. If you work around food, you need to complete this training.
Whilst saving you time, online courses are also a cheaper option. Starting from as little as £15 + VAT, they are not as expensive as hiring a training company and are certainly cheaper than the fines you could receive if something happened and an employee wasn’t properly qualified to be handling food. You will receive certification at the end of the course and full support from Wurkplace, should you encounter any problems or need advice.
Summary
Online training courses are a fantastic way of informing your employees and protecting both them and your business from violating and food hygiene risks. Failure to meet these standards can result in the shutting down of your company and multiple fines, so it’s crucial that all employees and employers take the training.
If you’d like more information about any of our online training courses or food hygiene laws, get in touch.
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