NCFE launches two new food safety qualifications for catering industry

NCFE'S newly launched Level 2 Award in the Principles of Practical Food Safety for Catering and its Level 3 Award in the Principles of Practical Food Safety Supervision for Catering are designed to ensure best practice and optimum health and safety procedures when handling and serving food. Learners can benefit from developing the skills and knowledge needed to enter the hospitality and catering sector and are also ideal for those already employed in the industry who wish to gain a nationally recognised qualification. Courses explore the methods of storage, preparation, cooking, handling and serving food safely, in line with good practice and food safety legislation. Units also cover the importance of risk assessment and pest control within catering environments. The Level 3 Award additionally teaches the skills required for supervisory roles, such as food safety management procedures, monitoring good hygiene practice, training staff, communication and ensuring compliance and implementation of legislation and procedures. David Grailey, chief executive of NCFE, said: "The catering industry is one where employers and staff must adhere to the strictest of health, safety and hygiene procedures in order to avoid liabilities. The news is frequently littered with high-profile examples of food safety going badly wrong – it captures people's imaginations for all the wrong reasons. "NCFE's new qualifications are available to both young people who aspire to enter the hospitality and catering sector and to those who are already working in kitchens, who would like to hone their skills, gain a recognised qualification to support their practical experience and further their career."