Level 2 Food Safety Training – E-Learning

Module 1 – Introduction to Food Safety
• What is food safety?
• Importance of food hygiene
• Foodborne illness
• Impact of poor food safety
• Responsibilities of food handlers
• Food safety culture

Module 2 – Food Safety Legislation
• Responsibilities of food businesses
• Food handler responsibilities
• Irish legislation overview
• European food safety regulations
• Enforcement authorities
• Consequences of non-compliance
Key legislation:
• Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the Hygiene of Foodstuffs
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) Guidance
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act 1998
• Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 (General Food Law)

Module 3 – Food Hazards
• Biological hazards
• Chemical hazards
• Physical hazards
• Allergen hazards
• High-risk foods
• High-risk groups

Module 4 – Food Poisoning
• Causes of food poisoning
• Common bacteria
o Salmonella
o E. coli
o Listeria
o Campylobacter
o Norovirus
• Symptoms
• Prevention

Module 5 – Personal Hygiene
• Hand washing
• Protective clothing
• Personal cleanliness
• Illness reporting
• Cuts and wounds
• Jewellery
• Smoking and eating rules
• Interactive handwashing demonstration

Module 6 – Cross Contamination
• Direct contamination
• Indirect contamination
• Cross contamination
• Colour-coded equipment
• Raw and ready-to-eat foods
• Safe food handling

Module 7 – Temperature Control
• Temperature danger zone
• Cooking temperatures
• Chilling
• Freezing
• Hot holding
• Cooling food safely
• Reheating
• Temperature monitoring
• Interactive temperature exercise

Module 8 – Food Storage
• Dry storage
• Refrigerated storage
• Frozen storage
• FIFO
• Stock rotation
• Date coding
• Packaging
• Labelling

Module 9 – Cleaning and Sanitising
• Cleaning vs sanitising
• Cleaning schedules
• Cleaning chemicals
• Safe chemical storage
• Cleaning equipment
• Verification of cleaning

Module 10 – Pest Control
• Common food pests
• Signs of infestation
• Prevention
• Reporting procedures
• Waste management

Module 11 – Food Allergens
• Food allergy vs intolerance
• The 14 regulated allergens
• Preventing allergen cross-contact
• Allergen information
• Customer communication
• Emergency response

Module 12 – Introduction to HACCP
• What is HACCP?
• Benefits of HACCP
• The 7 HACCP Principles
• Critical Control Points (CCPs)
• Monitoring
• Corrective actions
• Record keeping

Module 13 – Good Food Safety Practices
• Daily food safety routines
• Safe food preparation
• Safe serving practices
• Receiving deliveries
• Waste disposal
• Food safety culture
• Continuous improvement

FINAL ASSESSMENT
Assessment Structure
• Format: Multiple-choice questions
• Number of questions: 30
Passing Rate
✅ 70% Pass Mark
Duration: Approximately 60-90 minutes
Delivery: e-learning
Failure Handling
• If the learner fails:
o Can review modules
o Retake assessment (up to 3 times)

This course is suitable for:
• Food handlers with previous basic food safety experience
• Catering staff
• Restaurant and café employees
• Hotel food service employees
• Kitchen and food preparation staff
• Food retail employees
• Bakery and deli staff
• Supermarket food handling teams
• Food production employees
• Hospitality staff
• Employees working with food storage and service
• Employees requiring Level 2 food safety awareness
The course is particularly suitable for employees who have moved beyond initial induction-level food safety training and require additional food safety knowledge relevant to their role.
The FSAI's Guide to Food Safety Skills identifies Level 2 skills as those employees should be able to demonstrate within approximately 3–12 months of commencing work, depending on the role, level of responsibility and food operation.

Preventing Foodborne Illness
Good food safety practices help reduce the risk of food contamination and foodborne illness.

Maintaining High Hygiene Standards
Employees play an important role in maintaining hygienic food preparation, storage and service environments.

Preventing Cross-Contamination
Understanding how contamination occurs helps employees take appropriate steps to protect food throughout the preparation and handling process.

Improving Temperature Control
Correct temperature control is essential for keeping food safe and reducing the growth of harmful microorganisms.

Managing Food Allergens
Effective allergen awareness helps employees understand the importance of following procedures designed to prevent accidental allergen contamination and incorrect allergen information.

Supporting Food Safety Procedures
Employees need to understand how their day-to-day activities contribute to the organisation's wider food safety management system.

Developing a Strong Food Safety Culture
Consistent training helps employees understand their responsibilities and encourages safe food handling practices throughout the organisation.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the importance of effective food safety practices
• Identify common biological, chemical and physical food safety hazards
• Understand how food becomes contaminated
• Apply effective personal hygiene practices
• Understand temperature control and the food temperature danger zone
• Apply safe food storage and handling practices
• Understand cleaning and disinfection requirements
• Recognise the importance of preventing cross-contamination
• Understand basic allergen control responsibilities
• Apply safe food preparation and service practices
• Recognise the importance of pest control and good housekeeping
• Understand the importance of following food safety procedures
• Recognise and report food safety issues appropriately
• Contribute to maintaining a safe food environment

Online E-Learning
• 100% online learning
• Self-paced course delivery
• Interactive learning modules
• Practical food safety examples
• Workplace scenarios
• Knowledge checks
• Final multiple-choice assessment
• Flexible online access
• Suitable for individual and group training

The course introduces learners to the key Irish and European food safety framework relevant to food businesses, including:

• Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs
• Irish food hygiene requirements
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) guidance
• FSAI Guide to Food Safety Skills
• HACCP principles
• Food hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
• Temperature control and cold-chain requirements
• Food allergen awareness
• Food safety management procedures
• Food handler training responsibilities

Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 requires food businesses to ensure that food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene in a manner appropriate to their work activity.

Samson Training provides professional workplace training designed to help organisations develop employee knowledge, awareness and safer working practices.

Our approach focuses on:

• Practical food safety learning
• Irish food safety requirements
• FSAI-aligned food safety principles
• Food hygiene and contamination prevention
• Temperature control
• Allergen awareness
• HACCP awareness
• Practical workplace scenarios
• Flexible online learning
• Training suitable for employees across different food sectors

Our e-learning format allows organisations to provide consistent food safety awareness training across their workforce while giving employees the flexibility to complete their training online.

What is Level 2 Food Safety Training?
Level 2 Food Safety Training provides employees with more detailed food safety knowledge beyond basic induction-level awareness. It covers food hazards, contamination, personal hygiene, temperature control, food storage, cleaning, allergens, HACCP awareness and safe food handling.

Who should complete this course?
The course is suitable for food handlers who have gained initial experience working in a food business and require additional food safety knowledge relevant to their role.

Is Level 2 Food Safety different from Level 1?
Yes. Level 1 provides basic/induction food safety skills, while Level 2 provides additional food safety knowledge and skills for employees with more experience and responsibility in food operations. The FSAI Guide to Food Safety Skills uses these levels to describe the skills employees should demonstrate at different stages of their work.

How long does the course take?
The course takes approximately 60–90 minutes to complete, depending on the learner and their pace.

Is the course delivered online?
Yes. The course is delivered through flexible, self-paced online e-learning.

Does the course cover Irish food safety requirements?
Yes. The course introduces key Irish and European food hygiene requirements and relevant FSAI guidance.

Does the course cover HACCP?
Yes. The course provides an introduction to HACCP principles and explains the employee's role in following HACCP-based food safety procedures.

Is HACCP a legal requirement in Ireland?
Food businesses are required to implement food safety management procedures based on HACCP principles, subject to the applicable requirements and nature of the operation.