Food Hygiene training
This training covers how we keep food safe and prevent illness in the care setting. You will learn about storing, preparing and serving food safely, preventing contamination, and protecting residents with food allergies. These practices protect everyone's health and meet legal requirements.
What This Training Covers
A clear, practical grounding in food hygiene.
This training covers how we keep food safe and prevent illness in the care setting. You will learn about storing, preparing and serving food safely, preventing contamination, and protecting residents with food allergies. These practices protect everyone's health and meet legal requirements.
Learning Outcomes
By the end, your staff will be able to:
What Your Team Will Learn
A closer look at the food hygiene module.
The module is built in short, practical sections. Each one teaches a part of the topic, then applies it to a real care scenario and checks understanding before moving on.
Personal Hygiene When Handling Food
Before touching any food, you must wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. This removes harmful bacteria that can cause illness. Always wash hands after using the toilet, touching your face or hair, handling waste, or touching raw foods. If you are unwell with sickness or diarrhoea, you must not handle food and should report to your manager immediately.
Safe Food Storage and Temperature Control
Food must be stored at the correct temperature to prevent harmful bacteria growing. Cold foods must be kept at 5 degrees Celsius or below. Hot foods must be kept at 63 degrees Celsius or above. Raw and cooked foods must always be stored separately, with raw foods on lower shelves so they cannot drip onto ready to eat foods. All food must be covered and labelled with the date it was opened or prepared.
Understanding Food Allergies and the 14 Allergens
the care setting must provide clear information about 14 specific allergens that can cause serious allergic reactions. These are celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soya, and sulphur dioxide. Even a tiny amount of an allergen can cause reactions ranging from itching to life threatening anaphylactic shock. We record all residents' food allergies in their care plans and provide allergen information on all menus.
Preventing Cross Contamination
Cross contamination happens when harmful bacteria or allergens spread from one food to another. This can make residents seriously ill. You must clean all utensils, chopping boards and surfaces thoroughly between uses, especially after preparing foods containing allergens. Always wash your hands between preparing different dishes. Store ingredients and prepared foods separately in closed, labelled containers. Never use the same utensil for different foods without washing it first.
Providing Allergen Information to Residents
Every resident has the right to know what is in their food so they can make safe choices. Our menus clearly show allergen information, with allergens highlighted in bold. We provide this information in formats that residents can understand, including reading menus aloud to those who need support. For residents who lack capacity to understand or make safe choices, staff must help them choose safe foods according to their care plan. We never assume someone cannot understand; we always try to explain their choices first.
Recognising and Reporting Food Safety Concerns
You must report any food safety concerns immediately to the cook or manager. This includes food that smells or looks wrong, food past its use by date, broken packaging, incorrect storage temperatures, or equipment that is not working properly. Also report if you see poor hygiene practices or if you become unwell with sickness or diarrhoea. Quick reporting prevents residents becoming ill. Never serve food you are unsure about; when in doubt, always ask.
Key Points Covered
The things your team must remember.
- Always wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds before handling food and between different tasks
- Store cold foods at 5 degrees Celsius or below and hot foods at 63 degrees Celsius or above; keep raw and cooked foods separate
- We must provide clear information about 14 specific allergens on all menus and help residents make safe food choices
- Prevent cross contamination by washing all utensils between uses, especially when preparing allergen free foods
- Report any food safety concerns immediately, including spoiled food, wrong temperatures, or if you are unwell
- Never serve food containing allergens to residents with allergies, even if they ask for it, and always check care plans
Who and how often
Food Hygiene is refreshed every three years, for the staff in your care setting whose roles require it.
CQC and standards
Supports the training evidence CQC expects to see for a well-run, safe care setting.
How CareStream Delivers It
Not a slideshow once a year. Training that sticks.
CareStream delivers food hygiene training in the hub your team already uses, grounded in best practice and your own policies, so it fits your care setting and not a generic template.
Teach, then assess
Short teaching sections and a real care scenario, then an assessment that checks understanding.
In any language
Staff complete it in over 60 languages, while your records stay in English.
Learn and retry
A wrong answer triggers a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question, so the gap is closed.
Renewals handled
Automatic reminders at 90, 30 and 7 days, with a live compliance dashboard.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions.
Give your team food hygiene training that actually sticks.
See how CareStream delivers your mandatory training in the hub, in any language.