Training - First Steps

Food handlers must be supervised, and also instructed and/or trained in food hygiene based on the level of activity they are involved in. 

If you are responsible for your business's HACCP system, then you must undertake adequate training in the application of HACCP principles.

1. Develop Your Own Training Course

To assist you to determine the information that should be included during training for employees and management in a food business the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has published a suite of Guides to Food Safety Training (see links below). These are the first national guidelines on food safety training in Ireland and detail the food safety skills that food handlers and non-food handlers should be able to demonstrate at various stages in the workplace.

These guides allow you to develop your own training course for your staff, or refresh your own food safety skills. They are extremely useful if you’ve been in the food industry a while and have a good knowledge of food hygiene and safety and feel confident to relay this information to your staff.

• Guide to Food Safety Training Level 1 & 2
  Level 1 provides information on basic food safety skills that staff should be able to demonstrate within the first month of employment.
  Level 2 provides information on the additional food safety skills that staff should be able to demonstrate within 3-12 months of commencing employment in your food business.
   
• Guide to Food Safety Training Level 3
  Level 3 provides information on the food safety skills that should be demonstrated by managers and supervisors in food operations.

Our Food Safety and You course, based on the skills outlined in the Guide to Food Safety Training Level 1 is run a number of times a year. It is designed to be delivered by supervisors/managers/trainers to staff within their own food business.

2. Choose a Food Safety Trainer

While the FSAI provides specific advice and support on the topic of food safety training, it does not however provide training courses in food hygiene or HACCP.

However whether recruiting an in-house training provider or attending a course, here are a few things to bear in mind before choosing a food safety trainer.

3. eLearning with the FSAI

If you choose this option it is vital that there is management support and follow-up. See the FSAI eLearning resources on packaging, labelling, additives and more.