Highfield Level 2 Award in Food Safety for Catering (RQF)

This qualification is designed for individuals working in, or preparing to work in, catering, hospitality, maritime, and food service environments. It provides learners with the knowledge and understanding required to handle food safely throughout all stages of the food production process, including storage, preparation, cooking, service, and food handling.

The course develops an understanding of food safety hazards, contamination risks, personal hygiene, and safe working practices, enabling learners to contribute to the production of safe food and maintain high standards of hygiene in the workplace. The topics covered are recognised by the Food Standards Agency as essential to food safety and support compliance with industry best practices.

For those working at sea, this qualification also supports compliance with MCA requirements for food handlers and catering personnel serving on commercial vessels, super yachts, cruise ships, and other maritime operations, helping employers meet their obligations for food safety training and competence.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this qualification, learners will be able to:

• Understand the importance of food safety in catering environments
• Recognise individual responsibilities for maintaining food safety standards
• Understand safe food storage, preparation, cooking, and service practices
• Identify common food safety hazards and methods of control
• Understand the importance of personal hygiene in food handling
• Contribute to the prevention of food contamination
• Apply good food safety practices within a catering workplace
• Support compliance with food safety requirements and industry best practices