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1. Module 1. The supervisor's role and the law

   A food handler follows the rules. A supervisor makes sure the rules exist, that everyone knows them, that they are followed every day, and that the business can prove it. If something goes wrong, inspectors and courts will look first at what the people in charge did.

   What you will learn

   • Explain the main food safety laws in the UK and what they require of a business.
   • Describe the powers of Environmental Health Officers and the notices they can serve.
   • Explain the "due diligence" defence and how a supervisor builds it.
   • Describe how inspections and hygiene ratings work.

   Key points

   • The law requires training that matches the job, a HACCP-based system, and traceability.
   • EHOs can enter without warning, serve notices and close premises that pose an imminent risk.
   • The due diligence defence depends on honest records and evidence that the system is checked.
   • Hygiene ratings score handling, structure and confidence in management.

   Based on: Food Safety Act 1990; Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (retained in UK law); Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013; Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (retained in UK law); Food Information Regulations 2014 and Natasha's Law.

2. Module 2. Microbiology and food poisoning

   A supervisor needs to understand **why** the rules work, so they can make good decisions when something unusual happens and explain the reasons to the team.

   What you will learn

   • Explain how bacteria grow and multiply, and what spores and toxins are.
   • Describe the main causes of food poisoning, their usual sources and onset times.
   • Explain the difference between food poisoning and foodborne infection.
   • Identify high-risk foods and people who are most at risk.

   Key points

   • Bacteria double every 10 to 20 minutes in ideal conditions. Time in the danger zone matters.
   • Spores survive cooking and some toxins survive reheating. Fast cooling is essential.
   • Some germs cause illness in tiny numbers, so separation and cooking are the only controls.
   • Vulnerable groups need stricter controls.

   Based on: Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland guidance.

3. Module 3. Temperature control and monitoring

   Temperature is the control a supervisor checks most often. Your job is to set the right limits, make sure staff measure them correctly, and make sure something happens when a reading is wrong.

   What you will learn

   • Apply the legal and recommended temperatures in each UK nation.
   • Set up monitoring for cooking, cooling, chilling, hot holding and reheating.
   • Explain the legal tolerances for food out of temperature control.
   • Manage probe thermometers and temperature records.

   Key points

   • Hot hold at 63°C or above. Reheat once, to 82°C in Scotland.
   • Chill at 8°C or below by law (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), with 5°C as the target.
   • Cool fast, within about 90 minutes, and record it.
   • Probes must be clean, used on the core and checked for accuracy.

   Based on: Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and equivalents in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland guidance.

4. Module 4. Contamination and allergen control

   Supervisors design the kitchen's controls against cross-contamination and allergen cross-contact, and make sure they work when the kitchen is under pressure.

   What you will learn

   • Plan separation of raw and ready-to-eat food, including for *E. coli* O157.
   • Control physical and chemical hazards.
   • Manage allergen information, recipes and changes.
   • Control supplier approval and traceability.

   Key points

   • Complex equipment must never be shared between raw and ready-to-eat food.
   • Disinfectants must meet BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697 and be used at the right dilution and contact time.
   • Allergen records must be updated every time an ingredient or supplier changes.
   • Traceability means records one step back and one step forward.

   Based on: Food Standards Agency guidance on E. coli O157 cross-contamination; BS EN 1276 and BS EN 13697 (disinfectant standards); Food Information Regulations 2014 and Natasha's Law; Food Standards Agency allergen guidance for food served out of the home (2025); Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (retained in UK law).

5. Module 5. Staff hygiene, training and fitness to work

   The most common way germs get into food is on people. A supervisor sets the standard, makes it easy to follow and deals with problems fairly.

   What you will learn

   • Set and enforce personal hygiene standards.
   • Apply the FSA's fitness to work guidance, including exclusion.
   • Plan induction, training and refresher training, and keep records.
   • Supervise, coach and motivate staff.

   Key points

   • Make good hygiene easy: working basins, soap, towels and clean clothing.
   • Exclude staff with diarrhoea or vomiting until 48 hours after symptoms stop.
   • Training must match the job and be recorded, with refreshers at least every 3 years.
   • Supervision means watching, coaching and correcting, every shift.

   Based on: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (retained in UK law); Food Standards Agency fitness to work guidance.

6. Module 6. Cleaning, premises and pest management

   Clean premises and good design stop contamination before it starts. The supervisor plans the cleaning, checks it is done and keeps the building and pests under control.

   What you will learn

   • Write and check a cleaning schedule.
   • Use chemicals safely and correctly.
   • Describe good premises design and maintenance.
   • Manage pest prevention and a pest control contract.

   Key points

   • A cleaning schedule says what, how, how often, who cleans and who checks.
   • Disinfectants need the right dilution and contact time.
   • Good design follows a linear workflow and keeps raw and ready-to-eat food apart.
   • Pest control needs proofing, cleanliness, daily checks and a professional contractor.

   Based on: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (retained in UK law); COSHH Regulations 2002; Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949.

7. Module 7. HACCP and food safety management

   Every food business must have a food safety management system based on HACCP. Supervisors help write it, run it day to day and keep it up to date.

   What you will learn

   • Describe prerequisites and the seven principles of HACCP.
   • Build a simple HACCP plan for a catering process.
   • Set critical limits, monitoring and corrective action.
   • Verify and review the system, and use SFBB, CookSafe or Safe Catering.

   Key points

   • HACCP builds on prerequisites. Get the basics right first.
   • A CCP is a step where control is essential to make food safe.
   • Every critical limit needs monitoring and a corrective action.
   • Verify the system and review it whenever anything changes.

   Based on: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (retained in UK law); Safer Food, Better Business, CookSafe and Safe Catering.

8. Module 8. Inspections, incidents and leading the team

   Things will go wrong. A good supervisor is ready for an inspection on any day, handles complaints and incidents calmly and in the right order, and builds a team that cares about food safety.

   What you will learn

   • Prepare for and manage an inspection.
   • Respond to complaints, foreign bodies and suspected food poisoning.
   • Handle product withdrawals and recalls.
   • Build a positive food safety culture.

   Key points

   • Cooperate with inspectors, act on reports and keep evidence of what you fixed.
   • Keep evidence after complaints and suspected food poisoning. Never destroy it.
   • Respond quickly to FSA food alerts and allergy alerts.
   • A strong food safety culture depends on the supervisor's example.

   Based on: Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (retained in UK law); Food Standards Agency food alerts and allergy alerts.

HygieneReady certificates confirm completion of training. They are not a regulated qualification. Definitions of the key terms are in the glossary.