Food handler course content in English

A food handler is anyone who, at work, has direct contact with food during preparation, production, processing, packing, storage, transport, distribution, sale, supply or service: waiters, cooks, kitchen assistants, supermarket staff, butchers, bakers, school canteen monitors, delivery staff and catering staff, among others.

The basic rule is Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, which requires food handlers to be trained in food hygiene according to their work. In Spain, Royal Decree 109/2010 abolished the old official food handler card: since then the employer must guarantee staff training and be able to prove it during an inspection, usually with a training certificate.

We talk about “high-risk” food handlers when people work with prepared meals that are eaten without further treatment, so a mistake reaches the customer directly: hospitality, restaurants, canteens and catering.

• Regulation (EC) 852/2004: hygiene of foodstuffs.
• Royal Decree 109/2010: abolishes the official card; the employer guarantees training.
• Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 and Royal Decree 126/2015: allergen information for consumers.
• Law 1/2025: prevention of food loss and waste.

Food is contaminated when it contains something that can harm the person who eats it. There are three types of contamination:

• Biological: bacteria (Salmonella, Listeria, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli), viruses (norovirus, hepatitis A), parasites (Anisakis) and moulds.
• Chemical: traces of cleaning products, pesticides, metals or too many additives.
• Physical: glass, plastic, hair, splinters, jewellery, stones.

Cross-contamination happens when microorganisms pass from raw food or a dirty surface to food that is already cooked or ready to eat, for example when you cut raw chicken and then salad with the same unwashed board or knife. It is one of the most common causes of outbreaks in hospitality.

Bacteria need four things to multiply: food (especially protein: meat, eggs, dairy), moisture, the right temperature and time. The danger zone is between 5 °C and 65 °C: in that range some bacteria can double every 20 minutes.

Foodborne illnesses cause vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and stomach pain and can be serious for children, pregnant women, older people and people with weak immune systems. Salmonellosis (undercooked eggs and egg products), listeriosis (soft cheeses, cold meats, smoked products) and anisakiasis (raw or undercooked fish) are the best known.

Fish that will be eaten raw or undercooked (sushi, anchovies in vinegar, ceviche) must be frozen first at −20 °C for at least 24 hours, or at −35 °C for 15 hours, to kill Anisakis.

• Wash your hands with hot water and soap when you start, after using the toilet, touching raw food, rubbish, money, your phone or your face, and after coughing or blowing your nose.
• Wear clean work clothes used only for work, and keep your hair tied back with a cap or hairnet in the kitchen.
• Short, clean nails without varnish; no rings, bracelets, watches or visible piercings.
• Cover wounds with a waterproof, brightly coloured plaster and, on the hands, with a glove.
• Do not eat, smoke, chew gum, cough or sneeze over food.
• Tell your manager if you have diarrhoea, vomiting, fever or infected wounds: you must not handle food in that situation.

Gloves do not replace hand washing: change them as often as you would wash your hands.

• Refrigeration: at 4 °C or below (8 °C at most if it will be eaten within 24 hours).
• Freezing: at −18 °C or below.
• Cooking: the centre of the food must reach at least 70 °C.
• Hot holding: at 63 °C or above.
• Reheating: within 1 hour of leaving the fridge, to 74 °C in the centre for at least 15 seconds, and only once.
• Rapid cooling: from 60 °C to 10 °C in less than 2 hours (blast chiller).

Always defrost in the fridge, never at room temperature or under the tap. Defrosted food must not be frozen again unless it has been cooked first.

In the cold room and fridge, cooked and ready-to-eat food goes at the top and raw food at the bottom, always covered and labelled. Use FIFO: first in, first out.

Cleaning means removing visible dirt with water and detergent; disinfecting means killing microorganisms with a food-safe disinfectant, respecting its contact time. Clean first, then disinfect.

Surfaces, utensils and equipment must be cleaned following a cleaning plan: what is cleaned, with which product, how often and by whom. Cleaning products are kept away from food and in their original containers.

Pests (cockroaches, rodents, flies) are prevented with fly screens, well-sealed doors, bins with lids, order and cleanliness. Pest control is carried out by an authorised company and must be recorded.

The law requires customers to be informed of 14 allergens in every dish, in writing or in an accessible way (menu, sign or digital menu).

To avoid allergen cross-contamination: separate utensils and areas, wash your hands before preparing an allergen-free dish, do not reuse frying oil and, if in doubt, never promise the customer something you cannot guarantee.

HACCP (in Spanish APPCC: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is the system every food business must have to control food risks. It is based on 7 principles: identify hazards, determine critical control points, set critical limits, monitor them, set corrective actions, verify the system works and keep records of everything.

In practice, food handlers take part by filling in the records: cold room temperatures, goods received, cleaning and traceability (knowing where each product comes from and where it goes).

Law 1/2025 requires food businesses to prevent waste, with a prevention plan (micro-businesses have fewer obligations), and requires hospitality businesses to let customers take away what they have not eaten, at no extra cost and in suitable, reusable or easily recyclable containers. It also gives priority to donating surplus food that is still fit to eat.

For food handlers this means planning quantities well, rotating products, using surplus food correctly without compromising food safety and knowing how take-away food is packed.