Find your course
Menu

Course Guides Level 2, explained

Do you need a Level 2 food hygiene certificate?

Not by law. UK food law asks employers to supervise and train food handlers for their work, and food handlers do not have to hold a certificate. Level 2 names a level in the qualification frameworks. Our free course is not a Level 2 qualification: it ends with a certificate of completion from a private company.

Sources for this answer
  • Food businesses must make sure food handlers are supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene in a way that matches their work. [S2]
  • Food handlers do not have to hold a food hygiene certificate. [S1]
  • On GOV.UK’s list for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, level 2 qualifications include GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 and level 2 awards, certificates and diplomas. [S41]

What the law actually asks

  • Food businesses must supervise and instruct or train food handlers in food hygiene, in line with their work.
  • Skills can come from courses, training on the job, self-study or relevant previous experience.
  • Inspectors check the processes, training and systems a business uses to keep hygiene up.
Facts and sources for this part
  • Food businesses must make sure food handlers are supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene in a way that matches their work. [S2]
  • Food hygiene skills can be learned through courses, training on the job, self-study or relevant previous experience. [S1]
  • Inspectors check how hygienically food is handled, the physical condition of the business, and the processes, training and systems used to keep hygiene up. [S8]

What does Level 2 mean?

Most qualifications have a difficulty level, and in England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are 9 of them. Level 2 includes GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 and level 2 awards, certificates and diplomas.

To check whether a qualification is regulated, GOV.UK points to the Register of Regulated Qualifications. That register covers England and Northern Ireland; Wales and Scotland have their own.

Facts and sources for this part
  • Most qualifications have a difficulty level: the higher the level, the more difficult the qualification. [S40]
  • In England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are 9 qualification levels. [S41]
  • On GOV.UK’s list for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, level 2 qualifications include GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 and level 2 awards, certificates and diplomas. [S41]
  • GOV.UK says the way to check whether a qualification is regulated is to search the Register of Regulated Qualifications. [S42]
  • The Register of Regulated Qualifications covers England and Northern Ireland; GOV.UK points to Qualifications Wales for Wales and to SQA Accreditation for Scotland. [S42]

Why we do not call this course Level 2

In 2018 the Advertising Standards Authority ruled an ad misleading for calling an online course a Level 2 Diploma when the provider only issued a certificate of completion. Consumer law also bans claiming an approval or authorisation a trader does not have.

So we name it for what it is: free food hygiene training, a free test, and a certificate of completion if you want one.

Facts and sources for this part
  • In 2018 the Advertising Standards Authority ruled an ad misleading because it called an online course a ‘Level 2 Diploma’ while the provider only issued a certificate of completion. [S6]
  • UK consumer law bans claiming that a trader or a product has been approved, endorsed or authorised by a public or private body when the claim is false. [S37]

What to tell an employer who asks for Level 2

  • The law asks for supervision and training that fit the job, not a particular certificate.
  • Businesses keep a record of each person’s training for inspections; a certificate of completion can go in that record.
  • If they need a regulated qualification specifically, this course is not one. Ask which qualification they want.
Facts and sources for this part
  • Food businesses must make sure food handlers are supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene in a way that matches their work. [S2]
  • Businesses are told to keep a record of the training staff have completed, so they can show it during an inspection. [S1]

Where to start

The first lesson covers the law and your part in it, including inspections and ratings.

  1. Lesson 1Food hygiene law and your part in it4 min