Course and certificate
Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Retail
For shop-floor staff, supermarket and convenience-store workers, deli, butcher, fishmonger and bakery counter staff, market stallholders, farm-shop workers and home-delivery pickers in the UK. Ten short lessons in plain English cover food law, hazards, deliveries and stock rotation, chilled and frozen display, date labels, loose food and counters, allergens and prepacked-for-direct-sale labelling, hygiene and cleaning, recalls and pests, and inspections and ratings, followed by a 30-question test.
- Jurisdiction
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Languages
- English, Български, Español, Italiano, Polski, Português, Română, Українська
- Lessons
- 10
- Time needed
- About 65 minutes for the lessons and the test
- Assessment
- 30 questions, pass mark 80%
- Refresher
- Recommended after 3 years
- Content updated
- 28 October 2026
- Certificate fee
- £12.00, payable after passing
01Who this course is for
- Shop-floor staff in supermarkets and convenience stores
- Deli, butcher, fishmonger and bakery counter staff
- Market stallholders and farm-shop workers
- Home-delivery pickers and packers for online grocery orders
- Anyone starting a job where they stock, sell or hand over food in a shop
02Syllabus
- 01Food law and your job in a shop
- 02Hazards and food poisoning in shops
- 03Deliveries, storage and stock rotation
- 04Chilled and frozen display, and temperature checks
- 05Date labels, selling past a date and reduced items
- 06Counters: loose food, raw and ready-to-eat
- 07Allergens, prepacked-for-direct-sale and labels
- 08Personal hygiene, fitness to work and cleaning
- 09Recalls, withdrawals, pests and waste
- 10Records, inspections and food hygiene ratings
03Assessment
30 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.
- FSA — Safer Food, Better Business for Retailers
- GOV.UK — Food hygiene for businesses
- FSA — Allergen guidance for food businesses
- FSA — E. coli O157
- Regulation (EC) 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter XII
- FSA — Best before and use-by dates
06Questions
Do I need a food hygiene certificate to work in a shop that sells food?
UK law requires food handlers to be supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene to suit their work. It does not name a particular certificate, and the Food Standards Agency says handlers do not have to hold one. Many employers still ask for a Level 2 course like this one as evidence of training.
Is this certificate accredited?
No. It is a certificate of completion: it shows you finished the course and passed its test. It is not an Ofqual-regulated qualification, it is not accredited by any body, and your employer decides whether this training meets their requirements.
What must my employer still do?
This course does not replace your shop's own training. Your employer must still give you a site induction, show you its food safety management system and HACCP-based procedures, teach you its equipment, labels and records, train you in the practical tasks of your job and supervise your work.
How is this different from the catering course?
The catering course is written for kitchens. This one is written for shops: deliveries and stock rotation, chilled and frozen display, date labels and reduced items, counters and loose food, prepacked-for-direct-sale labelling, recalls and retail inspections.
How long does it take?
Most people finish the lessons and the 30-question test in about an hour. You can stop and come back at any time on the same device.
What if I fail the test?
Nothing is charged. You see which lessons to read again and can retake the test as often as you need.
When do I pay, and how much?
Only after you pass: £12 for the certificate. The course and the test are free.
How does my employer check the certificate?
Every certificate has a number and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the number on our check page, shows your name, the course and the date you passed.
How long is the certificate valid?
The law sets no expiry date. Refresher training every three years is common practice, so the certificate shows a renewal date three years after you pass.
Does this cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The course is written for the UK. It explains where the rules differ, for example the 8°C chilled-food limit, which is a legal limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a recommended one in Scotland, and Scotland's own inspection results. Check the regulator for your nation for the details that apply to you.
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.