What is this course and what does the law say?
This course is offered by a private training company. It is not a government procedure, and it does not replace what your employer decides.
The law puts the responsibility on the business, not on you: the food business operator is mainly responsible for food safety. In addition, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires the operator to make sure that anyone who handles food gets supervision, instruction or training that suits their work.
There used to be a food handler card (carné de manipulador), set out in Real Decreto (Royal Decree) 202/2000. Real Decreto (Royal Decree) 109/2010 repealed it. Since then that card no longer exists, and organisations that provide training do not need permission from the authorities.
That is why we do not promise anything we cannot promise: here you learn the essentials, and your employer decides whether they fit your job.
To remember
- This training is given by a private company.
- The business is responsible for making sure its staff are trained.
- The old food handler card no longer exists.
Facts and sources for this section
- The food business operator is mainly responsible for food safety. [S3]
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (Annex II, Chapter XII) requires food businesses to make sure that people who handle food are supervised and instructed or trained according to their work activity. [S3]
- Food businesses are required to set up and apply a food hygiene training plan suited to each employee. [S8]
- Real Decreto (Royal Decree) 109/2010 repealed Real Decreto (Royal Decree) 202/2000, which was the previous rule on food handlers. [S2]
- Since that repeal, organisations that provide training for food handlers do not need authorisation from the authorities, and the old food handler card (carné de manipulador) no longer exists. [S1] [S8]
Who decides whether this training is right for my job?
Your employer does. The training must fit the needs of each food handler's specific job, and if you train on your own, the business has to judge whether it is suitable for the work you will do.
The competent authorities are the ones who check, during an inspection, whether the training is suitable for your job. They do this mainly by watching how you work.
At national level there is no syllabus or exam set by law. And the business must review and update your knowledge regularly.
To remember
- Your employer judges whether the training fits your job.
- The inspection looks at how you work in practice.
- Training is reviewed and kept up to date.
Facts and sources for this section
- For training to be considered suitable, it must be adapted to the needs of each food handler's specific job. [S8]
- If a worker trains on their own, the business has to judge whether that training is suitable for the job they will do. [S7]
- The competent authorities are responsible for checking whether each food handler's training is suitable for their job. [S8]
- At national level, no requirement is set on the content, the exam, the teaching staff or the way food hygiene training is delivered. [S8]
- The business must include in its training plan a regular review and update of the food handler's knowledge. [S8]
What will you learn here?
We follow the four topics that AESAN (the Spanish food safety agency) proposes in its guidance document: basic knowledge of hygiene, correct practices and the reasons behind them, incorrect practices and their consequences, and your role in the business's self-checking system (autocontrol).
We split them into six modules: personal hygiene, hazards and contamination, temperatures and storage, cleaning and pests, self-checks, and allergens.
At the end you can take the test as many times as you like.
To remember
- Four basic topics, six modules.
- You read, practise with the test and repeat if you want.
Facts and sources for this section
- AESAN's (the Spanish food safety agency) guidance document on food handler training proposes four topics: basic knowledge of food hygiene, correct hygiene practices and the reasons behind them, incorrect practices and their consequences, and the role within the business's self-checking system (autocontrol). [S7]
How should I dress and keep myself clean?
Anyone who works where food is handled must keep a high level of cleanliness and wear suitable, clean and, if needed, protective clothing.
In practice: clean work clothes that you only wear at work, hair tied back under a cap or hairnet, and short, clean nails.
Take off rings, bracelets and watches before you start. They collect dirt and can fall into the food.
To remember
- Clean clothes, only for work.
- Hair tied back; short, clean nails.
- No jewellery or watch in the handling area.
Facts and sources for this section
- Anyone who works in a food handling area must maintain a high level of cleanliness and wear suitable, clean and, if needed, protective clothing. [S3]
When and how do I wash my hands?
Washing your hands is the cheapest and most effective thing you can do. Do it when you start, after going to the toilet, and after touching raw meat, fish, eggs, rubbish, money or your phone.
Also when you cough or sneeze, when you finish a task, and before moving from a raw food to one that is already cooked.
Wet your hands, use soap, rub your palms, the backs of your hands, between your fingers, your thumbs and your nails, rinse, and dry with a single-use paper towel. The sink must have running hot and cold water, and hygienic cleaning and drying materials.
Gloves do not replace hand washing. Change them between tasks and wash your hands before putting them on.
To remember
- Wash your hands with soap and dry them with a disposable paper towel.
- New task, new gloves.
- The hand-washing sink must have hot and cold water.
Facts and sources for this section
- Sinks for washing hands must have running hot and cold water, and hygienic cleaning and drying materials. [S3]
What do I do if I am ill or I have cut myself?
If you have an illness that can pass to food, or infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea, you must not handle food when there is a risk of contaminating it.
And you must tell your employer straight away about the illness or the symptoms. Keeping quiet can make a lot of people sick.
If it is only a small cut, tell someone, clean it, cover it with a waterproof coloured dressing and put a glove over it.
To remember
- Vomiting, diarrhoea or fever: tell your employer and do not handle food.
- Cuts: waterproof dressing and glove, and tell someone.
Facts and sources for this section
- Anyone who has an illness that can be passed on through food, or who has infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea, must not handle food when there is a risk of contaminating it. [S3]
- Anyone in that situation who works in a food business must tell the business straight away about the illness or the symptoms they have. [S3]
Which habits should be avoided?
Some habits seem harmless, but they are incorrect practices: smoking, eating or drinking where food is prepared, coughing or sneezing over food, tasting with your finger or with the same spoon again and again.
Do not touch your face or hair either; if you do, wash your hands again.
The consequences are real: customers who get sick, food that is thrown away and a business that loses people's trust.
To remember
- No smoking, eating or drinking in the handling area.
- A clean spoon every time you taste.
- If you touch your face or hair, wash your hands.
Check what you have learned
Three questions from the test, with their explanation. Tap an answer.
Question 1 of 3
What has happened to the old food handler card (carné de manipulador de alimentos)?
Question 2 of 3
Which of these habits is good personal hygiene practice?
See the answer
Correct: B, Keeping hair tied back, nails short and clean, and wearing no jewellery. Tied-back hair and short nails stop hair and dirt falling in, and jewellery collects microbes. Work clothes should be worn only for work.
Question 3 of 3
A colleague sneezes over a tray of canapés that are already prepared. What do you do?
See the answer
Correct: A, I set aside and throw away the affected canapés, and he washes his hands. The microbes from a sneeze reach all the canapés. The safe thing is to throw them away and stop it happening again.