Course and certificate
Food Hygiene for Food Business Staff (Denmark)
For employees and managers in Danish food businesses: cafés, restaurants, canteens, bakeries and shops. Eight short lessons in plain English explain the rules and responsibilities, personal hygiene, illness and norovirus, chilling and freezing, heating and cooling, cleaning and pests, allergens, and own-checks (egenkontrol) with the smiley scheme. Then you take a test of 25 questions. Many people call it a hygiene certificate (hygiejnebevis), but the law has not required one since 2014. You receive a course certificate showing that you have completed the course.
- Jurisdiction
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- Languages
- Dansk, Deutsch, English, Norsk bokmål, Polski, Română, Svenska, 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 199.00, payable after passing
01Who this course is for
- New employees in cafés, restaurants, canteens, bakeries, butchers' shops and grocery shops, who must be instructed in food hygiene from their first working day
- Kitchen staff, waiters, shop assistants and temporary staff who handle unpackaged food
- Employees whose first language is not Danish and who want to read the rules in plain English
- Managers and owners who want to use the course as part of their own instruction of staff
- Young people in part-time jobs and trainees in the food sector
02Syllabus
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.
- Fødevarestyrelsen, Oplysning om allergener
- Fødevarestyrelsen, HACCP-principperne
- Hygiejnevejledningen, afsnit 19.1
- Hygiejnevejledningen, afsnit 23
- Fødevarestyrelsen, Egenkontrol og risikoanalyse
- Hygiejnevejledningen, afsnit 27.1
06Questions
Do I need a hygiene certificate to work with food in Denmark?
No. The requirement for a hygiene course with a certificate was abolished on 1 November 2014 (executive order no. 1139 of 23 October 2014). Today the Hygiene Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter XII) requires everyone who works with food to be instructed or trained in food hygiene in line with their work. In its hygiene guidance, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) says there is no requirement for special hygiene courses. Learning on the job from a colleague and instruction in the business's own working procedures are often enough. Our course certificate is therefore not a statutory hygiene certificate. The course can be part of the instruction your employer gives you.
Is the course certificate an approved or mandatory qualification?
No. It is a course certificate: it shows that you have completed the course and passed the test. It is not a regulated qualification, and the course is not approved, certified or accredited by Fødevarestyrelsen or any other authority. It is up to the employer to decide whether the course covers the business's need for instruction. During an inspection Fødevarestyrelsen can ask how the staff have been instructed, and the business must be able to explain this itself.
What does my employer still have to do?
The employer must still give you training and instruction in the business's own working procedures and own-checks: where and how you wash your hands, which temperatures apply, how cleaning is done, what you do if something goes wrong, and how allergens are communicated. Those responsible for setting up the own-check system must be trained in HACCP, which is more than this course. The instruction must be ongoing. The employer cannot hand the responsibility over to a course.
How long does the course take?
Most people spend about one to two hours on the eight lessons and the test, some a little more. The rules do not set a number of hours, and the time spent does not in itself show whether the instruction is enough for your workplace. You can take a break and continue later on the same device.
What if I fail the test?
It costs nothing. You can see which lessons you should read again, and you can take the test as many times as you like.
When do I pay, and how much?
Only after you have passed: 199 DKK for the course certificate. The course and the test are free.
How can others check the course certificate?
Every course certificate has a number and a QR code. When someone scans the code or types the number on our verification page, your name, the course and the date you passed are shown.
Do I have to retake the course after a certain time?
The rules set no deadline for renewing the instruction. Fødevarestyrelsen does recommend that staff are instructed or trained on an ongoing basis. The course certificate therefore has no expiry date, but your employer may have its own rules on refresher training.
Does the course apply to my type of business?
The course covers the rules that apply to most food businesses. Some sectors have additions, for example butchers, fishmongers and dairies, and businesses may follow an industry code. Ask your manager, and read more at foedevarestyrelsen.dk.
Is the course HACCP training?
No. The course explains HACCP and own-checks in outline, so that you understand what to do in daily work. The hygiene guidance says that those responsible for setting up the own-check system must be trained in HACCP. That takes more than this introduction.
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.