Outlines

Ensuring compliance with legislation and industry guidance
Candidates should understand the format of UK and European food safety legislation as it relates to the management of food safety in a catering business and be able to:
• Understand the application of EC Directives to member states.
• Explain the key aspects of present UK legislation.
• Describe the role of industry guides and codes of practice.
• State how legislation is applied, actions that may be taken by enforcement officers and the consequences of non-compliance.
• State the responsibilities of proprietors, managers, supervisors and food handlers towards food safety.
• Explain the role that managers have in communicating food safety to staff.
• State the responsibility that managers have towards the maintenance of appropriate food safety records and demonstrating due diligence.
• Describe the role of management when working with enforcement officers to investigate an outbreak of food-borne ilness.

Food safety hazards
Candidates should understand the potential for food contamination and how it can be controlled in a catering business and be able to:
• Explain the hazards associated with skin injuries and infections, wearing of jewellery, nail varnish, inadequate protective clothing, personal bad habits and practices.
• Describe the most common intrinsic and extrinsic physical contaminants, inherent and introduced chemical contaminants (including mycotoxins), microbial contaminants (including bacterial toxins) and food allergens and explain the controls for prevention, detection and removal.
• State, with examples, the symptoms of acute and chronic food-borne illness caused by some chemicals, poisonous plants and certain types of fish.
• Describe the structure, shape and size of bacteria, the functions of spores and their role in the survival of bacteria and describe toxin formation and distinguish between exotoxins and endotoxins.
• Explain how bacteria multiply, the influencing factors, the generation times and the significance of the growth curve.
• Explain the principles involved in using time and temperature to control microbial and enzyme activity in food.
• Explain the methods used to identify bacteria.
• State the differences between food poisoning and food-borne infection and the symptoms of illness they cause.
• State the sources, common foods involved, incidences, vehicles, routes of transmission, onset times, symptoms, likely carrier status and control measures for Salmonella spp, Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus Aureus, Clostridium botulinum, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, E-coli and E-coli O157, Bacillary dysentery, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi, Campylobacter enteritis, viruses, moulds and parasites.
• State the nature of food spoilage organisms, the effects they can have on those who ingest them and how they are controlled in the processing of food.

Allocation of responsibilties
Candidates should understand and be able to allocate responsibilities and practice the management skills required to ensure food safety and be able to: i
• State the personal requirements necessary for a food handler and explain the need for careful staff selection.
• State why all staff have responsibilities in respect of food safety.
• State the controls necessary in respect of persons suffering from, or suspected of, suffering from foodborne illness.
• Explain the problems caused by carriers and the controls that can be implemented in a manufacturing environment.
• State how changes of menu and operations can affect food safety procedures and how these can be managed.
• Explain how non-food personnel, such as maintenance staff, visitors and delivery persons, can contaminate food and how this can be managed.

Managing the operational requirements of a safe food business
Candidates should understand the importance of factory and equipment design to keep food safe and be able to:
• Describe the criteria used in selecting a suitable site for a food premises and the internal design with regard to work flow, personnel facilities, waste disposal and adequate cleaning and disinfection.
• Explain how standards are maintained in respect of transporting food internally and externally.
• Explain safety information relating to the product and packaging.
• Describe the design features and properties of food equipment.
• Explain the requirements for efficient and hygienic use of chillers, refrigerated and frozen food storage units.
• Establish a priority list for repairs and improvements based on food safety risks.
• Explain the role of safe storage of food to minimise contamination and how stock control systems can be implemented, monitored and recorded.

Cleaning and disinfection regimes
Candidates should understand the principles and procedures for the satisfactory cleaning and disinfection of food premises and be able to:
• Explain the need for and benefits of cleaning and the principles of implementing and managing a cleaning system including safe storage of cleaning materials.
• Define the terms cleaning, detergent, disinfection, sanitiser and sterilisation and the properties required for the chemicals used for each process.
• Describe cleaning processes, including CIP, for a range of activities, areas and equipment in a manufacturing plant.
• Describe the management and administrative functions in relation to cleaning and cleaning schedules.

Supplier quality and safety controls
Candidates should understand the importance of good raw material intake and be able to:
• Explain the importance of purchasing only from reliable sources.
• Describe the methods that can be used to assess the safety of incoming stock and food equipment.
• Describe the requirements for safe transport, delivery and receipt of stock.

Pest controls
Candidates should understand the need for the control of food pests in premises used for the manufacture of food and be able to:
• Explain the habitat and characteristics of food pests, such as rats, mice, flies, cockroaches, psocids, pharaohs ants, stored product insects and birds and the reasons for controlling them in food factories.
• Explain the environmental, physical and chemical methods of controlling food pests, including their limitations.
• Explain the importance of obtaining and/or utilising professional advice or personnel, and monitoring the effectiveness of their methods.

Establish food safety management procedures
Candidates should understand the seven basic principles of the HACCP system and be able to:
• Explain the importance of implementing a HACCP system and how it can be applied to various products.
• Explain how to develop a HACCP plan, including a HACCP team, the multidisciplinary nature of a HACCP and its scope.
• Produce product workflow diagrams for a range of products and explain how they can be verified.

Monitoring the implementation of food safety management procedures
Candidates should understand the importance of implementing a safe food procedure and be able to:
• Explain how hazards are identified and how they are assessed as being critical to food safety.
• State how critical limits are set, implemented, including tolerance parameters, recorded and monitored.
• Explain how corrective actions are implemented if controls are not met and managed.
• Establish procedures to verify the efficiency of HACCP system.
• State how changes of product and operations can affect food safety procedures and how changes can be managed.

Maintaining food safety management procedures
Candidates should understand the importance of system evaluation and communication of change and be able to:
• Explain the importance of monitoring and reviewing procedures and responding to problems.
• Explain the importance of regular management inspections and internal audits.
• State how the HACCP system can be communicated to all staff and develop a communication system when changes in procedure occur.
• Establish procedures to evaluate and review the HACCP system.

Communication, sources of information and training
Candidates should be able to communicate staff responsibilities within a food management system and be able to:
• Describe how food safety procedures can be communicated to all staff responsible for its implementation, maintenance, monitoring and evaluation to develop and maintain a food safety culture.
• Describe the sources of further information and guidance on food safety and food safety management systems and acknowledge when this may be required.
• State the need for, and benefits of, food safety training.
• Explain the factors to be considered in the development, content and methods of effective food safety training programmes required for all associated personnel.
• Explain the use and benefit of assessing training needs and the maintenance of training records.

Who Should Attend

Managers, supervisors and senior hygiene personnel such as:
• production managers
• trainers
• owners or managers of food businesses
• supervisors with intermediate food hygiene knowledge
• hygiene auditors
• shift managers or supervisors.

This qualification is also suitable for those wishing to deliver CIEH food safety qualifications as part of their training provision. It is recommended that candidates must have prior knowledge to the level of the CIEH Level 3 Awards in Food Safety.

Duration

5 Days