REHIS Introduction to Food Hygiene

You will learn basic food hygiene practices and principles that you can use day to day. It will highlight the causes of food poisoning, prevention and safe handling of food including legal requirements in Scotland.

This is an essential course for anyone dealing with food.

• The course will cover the following:
• Understand the benefits of high standards of hygiene within food premises
• Understand the main requirements of food safety legislation.
• Explain the terms: food hygiene, food poisoning, food hazards, food spoilage and food contamination.
• Explain what bacteria are, their shape and size and where they may be found.
• Understand that not all bacteria are harmful.
• Explain how bacteria multiply and how time and temperature affect multiplication.
• Explain how food poisoning may be caused.
• Describe the main sources of food poisoning and physical contaminants, including allergens.
• Describe the symptoms of food poisoning.
• Describe the common kinds of physical, chemical and allergenic contamination.
• Describe simple measures to control hazards and prevent food poisoning
• Explain how high standards of personal hygiene for food handlers can be achieved.
• Explain when food handlers should wash their hands and describe acceptable methods of hand washing.
• Explain the need for detectable waterproof dressings to cover cuts and sores.
• Explain the need for clean protective clothing.
• Explain that you should not smoke, eat or drink in a food room and never cough or sneeze over food.
• Explain that problems can occur with the wearing of jewellery and nail varnish/gel.
• Explain that a supervisor must be told, before an employee commences work, of any skin, nose, throat, stomach or bowel trouble or infected wound. Explain that this is a legal requirement.
• The legal and moral reasons for cleaning and disinfection.
• Explain the need to avoid unnecessary handling of food.
• Describe safe systems for the preparation, storage and handling of food.