Course and certificate
Food Hygiene for Staff (Sweden)
For people who handle food in a restaurant, café, shop, large-scale catering kitchen, school, nursery or care setting in Sweden. Eight short lessons in plain English on laws and responsibility, personal hygiene, hazards and cross-contamination, temperatures, cleaning and pests, allergens, self-checks (egenkontroll) and HACCP, and official controls. Then a 25-question test.
- Jurisdiction
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Languages
- Svenska, Dansk, English, Norsk bokmål, Polski, Română, Українська
- Lessons
- 8
- Time needed
- About 45 minutes for the lessons and the test
- Assessment
- 25 questions, pass mark 80%
- Refresher
- No set period
- Content updated
- 27 October 2026
- Certificate fee
- kr 349.00, payable after passing
01Who this course is for
- Cooks, kitchen staff and assistants in restaurants, cafés and catering kitchens
- Shop staff who handle unpackaged food, for example in the deli, bakery and ready meals
- Staff in school kitchens, nurseries, health care and social care who prepare or serve food
- Waiting staff, food truck staff and temporary staff who handle food on occasion
- New employees and temporary staff who need a basic introduction to food hygiene before they start work
02Syllabus
- 01Laws, responsibility and what the business must do
- 02Personal hygiene
- 03Hazards in food and how contamination spreads
- 04Temperatures: chilling, freezing, heating and cooling down
- 05Cleaning, pests and waste
- 06Allergens and information for guests
- 07Self-checks (egenkontroll) and HACCP
- 08Official controls and what happens when there are shortcomings
03Assessment
25 multiple-choice questions drawn from the whole course. The pass mark is 80%. The test is free and can be retaken as often as needed; wrong answers point to the lesson to read again.
04The certificate
- With your name, your score and the date you passed.
- A unique number, recorded in our register.
- Your employer or an inspector scans it to see that it is genuine.
- Download it, print it or show it on your phone.
05Sources
The course follows the published guidance below. We are not affiliated with the bodies that publish it.
- Livsmedelsverket, Kontrollwiki (Temperatur)
- Livsmedelsverket, Kontrollwiki (Personlig hygien)
- Livsmedelsverket, Kontrollwiki (Rengöring)
- Livsmedelsverket, Kontrollwiki (Utbildning)
- Livsmedelsverket, Kontrollwiki (HACCP)
- Förordning (EG) nr 852/2004, artikel 5
06Questions
Do I need training or a hygiene card to handle food in Sweden?
No. There is no government hygiene card, and the Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) states that there is no requirement for a person to have taken a particular hygiene course. Under Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Annex II, chapter XII, the food business operator must nevertheless make sure that people who handle food are supervised and given instruction and/or training in food hygiene appropriate to their tasks. This can be done in several ways, for example through an induction at the workplace or a course like this one.
What is the certificate?
It is a certificate showing that you have completed the course and passed the test. It is not a regulated or government-issued qualification, and no authority has reviewed the course. It is the employer who decides whether the training is enough for your duties. The certificate can be part of the records a company keeps of its staff's knowledge.
What does my employer still have to do?
The course gives you the basics, but it does not know your workplace. The employer must find out for themselves what knowledge different tasks require, give you instructions on this particular business's procedures, premises and equipment, give new and temporary staff an induction, supervise the work and have a working system of self-checks (egenkontroll). The operator is also responsible for being able to show the inspection authority how the staff gain their knowledge.
How long does the course take?
Most people need about two hours for the lessons and the test with 25 questions. You can pause and continue later on the same device.
What happens if I do not pass the test?
It costs nothing. You will see which lessons you should read again and can take the test as many times as you like.
When do I pay, and how much?
Only when you have passed the test: 349 SEK for the certificate. The course and the test are free.
How can the employer or an inspector check the certificate?
Every certificate has a number and a QR code. When someone scans the code or enters the number on our verification page, your name, the course and the date you passed the test are shown.
Do I have to retake the course after a certain time?
The law sets no deadline for renewing food hygiene training. The certificate therefore has no expiry date. Your employer can still choose to repeat the training regularly, and your knowledge should be updated when the work or the rules change.
Does the course cover every type of food business?
The course covers the general rules for staff who handle food. Some businesses have extra requirements, for example those handling meat, fish, milk or eggs on a larger scale under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004. Your employer and the municipality's inspection authority can tell you what applies at your workplace.
The certificate confirms that you completed this course and passed its test. It is not a regulated or accredited qualification; your employer decides whether this training meets their requirements.