The Level 4 Award in Managing Food Safety in Catering and The Level 4 Award in Food Safety Management for Manufacturing are the qualifications that all managers working in hospitality or manufacturing must strive for.

The management of food safety in all catering and food manufacturing environments can be a very challenging proposition indeed. Anybody employed in a managerial role in the food sector have to be armed with the skills, experience and knowledge to be able to pass on safe methods of working to their staff with confidence.

As a manager, this qualification will guarantee all staff serve safe food at all times, without the danger of causing contamination and possibly food poisoning. The award ensures all due diligence procedures are met and followed.

The awards are bang up to date and look at present and future subject material

These qualifications are the most modern available and focus on current and emerging issues concerning microbiology, bacterial, physical, and chemical contamination of food. They also cover allergenic contamination.

The food industry is very dynamic and requires managers who can deal with a seemingly infinite number of scenarios. The detailed theory gleaned from this qualification ensures accurate decision making to be made in any food environ. Using due diligence, the manager can safely follow all necessary procedures by following the route of the ingredient, ie, from Farm to Fork.

The Level 4 Award in Managing Food Safety in Catering or The Level 4 Award in Food Safety Management for Manufacturing is a qualification aimed at managers already working in catering or manufacturing, or those who are about to enter the industry and one of their job duties is to have responsibility for providing safe food.

Responsibility for staff and their training would also be another job duty.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has stated that it is the ideal qualification to ensure safe food is produced.

The main learning outcomes of the course are:

Improving the standards and food safety of their catering or manufacturing operation.

Reduction of risks of food poisoning and food complaints.

Identification of hazards, risks, controls, monitoring and corrective action.

Interpretation of the requirements of food safety legislation.

The course is split into 13 lectures as follows:

An introduction to food safety.

Microbiological study.

Food contaminants and how to control them.

Food Poisoning.

Food-borne diseases.

Personnel hygiene and training.

Hazards in the food safety chain, from Farm to Fork.

How food is spoiled and how to prevent this from happening.

How to design and the construction materials used in a kitchen or food environment.

How to clean and disinfect food premises correctly.

Pest control

The management of staff

The Food Safety Act and relevant regulations.

The lessons have the following learning outcomes:

An introduction to food safety.

Define food hygiene, safe food and other food poisoning terms.

Determine the costs of poor hygiene and the benefits of good hygiene practices.

Have recognition of the incidence of food poisoning.

Microbiological study.

Determine the growth requirements of bacteria.

Give the temperatures involved in the growth and death of bacteria.

Identify specific bacterial families.

Define and explain toxins and spores.

State which substances will inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Food contaminants and how to control them.

Identification of the sources of microbiological contamination.

State the different causes of food contamination.

Define the sources, vehicles and routes of contamination.

Give the difference between microbiological, physical, chemical and allergenic contaminants.

Food Poisoning.

Identify the sources, food vehicles, incubation periods, symptoms and controls of common food poisoning organisms

Give the roles of managers and EH0s in an outbreak of food poisoning

Name the different types of chemicals, metals, poisonous plants and fish that can have serious effects on the food industry.

Food-borne diseases.

Give how many microbes are needed to cause a problem.

State why binary fission in food is not essential to cause infection.

Identify which bacteria are the most common cause of infection.

Name the bacteria that will grow to significant numbers in a refrigerator.

Personnel hygiene and training.

Give the role of managers in securing high standards of personnel hygiene and how to prevent the contamination of food.

State why training is very important

Identify how to medically screen staff effectively.

Give several reasons why protective clothing is extremely important.

Hazards in the food safety chain, from Farm to Fork

Identify how food is contaminated, when microbes grow and how they survive.

State how toxins are formed and when spores germinate.

Explain the various production processes.

State the various temperatures required under law for storage, cooking, cooling, reheating, chilling and freezing.

How food is spoiled and how to prevent this from happening.

State when the spoiling of food commences.

Identify what causes the spoiling.

Give the reasons why the rate of spoiling varies with product and environment.

Name the different types of food preservation.

How to design and the construction materials used in a kitchen or food environment.

State why site selection and good design and materials, are essential.

Explain why the following is required: washing and disinfection facilities, linear workflow, potable water, well lit and ventilated.

Define the properties required of equipment and internal fabric of the building.

How to clean and disinfect food premises correctly.

Explain why effective cleaning and disinfection are essential in a food premises.

State the properties and functions of detergents, disinfectants and sanitisers.

Name the areas and equipment that require efficient disinfection.

Say why effective management of cleaning techniques is important.

Give reasons why cleaning schedules are required.

Pest control

Say why staff training is important to recognise and respond to the signs of pest infestation.

Give reasons why we must control of pests.

State why using competent contractors are required for chemical control.

Identify which is the preferred option for the control of pests.

The management of staff

Give the differences between QC and QA.

State the areas for consideration when developing a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety management system.

Identify what type of monitoring and sampling assists in the provision of food safety.

Say why we need a food safety policy.

The Food Safety Act and relevant regulations.

Name the latest regulation which covers the hygiene of food.

Give details of the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006

State the responsibilities and powers of authorised officers and their criteria for prosecution.

Identify the legislation regarding the labelling and date coding of food.

So The Level 4 Award in Managing Food Safety in Catering and The Level 4 Award in Food Safety Management for Manufacturing are the qualifications that are aimed at all management who have a responsibility for Food Safety in their areas of operation.

Within the 13 lectures there are optional revision tests to complete.

The exam consists of 30 multiple choice questions and 4 long answer questions.  You must score 60% in each set of questions to pass.

On passing you will be sent a downloadable certificate in pdf format. Paper certificates are available at an additional cost.