Certificate in Food Hygiene and Safety
Course Overview
The Certificate in Food Hygiene and Safety is a UK Level 3 introductory qualification running 3 to 6 months across on-campus, online and distance learning routes, sitting inside the LSCAHM Culinary Arts and Gastronomy department. The programme is aligned with UK Food Standards Agency guidance, Craft Guild of Chefs entry-level hygiene themes and City and Guilds kitchen safety competencies used across UK restaurants and hotels.
By graduation you can operate a kitchen station to UK hygiene standard, keep clean-as-you-go discipline through a full service, and produce the hygiene records a supervisor needs to hold the operation.
Key Features
- Curriculum aligned with UK Food Standards Agency and Craft Guild of Chefs hygiene themes.
- Kitchen practicals in central London teaching kitchens.
- Modules on hand-hygiene, sanitisation, cross-contamination and pest control.
- City & Guilds-aligned hygiene competency mapping.
- Rolling intakes across on-campus, online and distance modes.
- Portfolio evidence suitable for CV and Level 4 progression at LSCAHM.
What You Will Learn
- Apply UK Food Standards Agency hygiene principles at station level.
- Follow safe cross-contamination controls across raw and ready-to-eat production.
- Complete daily temperature, fridge, freezer and delivery checks.
- Operate clean-as-you-go through a full-service day.
- Handle pest sightings and escalate correctly.
- Understand personal hygiene, illness reporting and workwear standards.
- Read a sanitation schedule and complete the record.
- Support a supervisor through an environmental health visit.
Who This Course Is For
- School leavers entering their first commercial kitchen.
- Career changers moving into kitchen or catering work.
- Front-of-house staff transferring into kitchen roles.
- International applicants seeking a UK-recognised hygiene credential.
- Applicants progressing to a Level 4 culinary Diploma at LSCAHM.
Career Pathways
- Kitchen Porter
- Commis Chef
- Kitchen Assistant
- Catering Assistant
- Café Kitchen Team Member
- Delivery Kitchen Team Member
- Event Catering Assistant
The LSCAHM careers service links Certificate students to entry-level kitchen roles across London restaurants, hotel outlets and catering companies.
Entry Requirements
- GCSE English at grade 4/C or equivalent; open access for mature applicants at admissions review.
- No prior study of food hygiene is required — Certificate courses are designed as first-entry routes.
- IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers, or equivalent.
- A short personal statement of 250 words describing your interest in kitchen work.
- International applicants supported through visa, accommodation and English-language guidance.
Why Study at LSCAHM
LSCAHM teaches food hygiene alongside kitchen craft and service, which is how good hygiene practice actually gets built in a working kitchen. Certificate students share studio and seminar space with chefs and service peers from day one.
Central London places restaurants, catering operators and the Craft Guild of Chefs within a short tube ride of every classroom.
Apply for Certificate in Food Hygiene and Safety
Applications for the Certificate in Food Hygiene and Safety are reviewed on a rolling basis with named admissions support. Start with a UK Level 3 Certificate at LSCAHM, where rolling intakes and early applications receive the widest choice of tutors and elective modules. Enrol Now.
