B13001: Evaluation of UK food hygiene and safety training

Study Duration: August 2002 to June 2004

Contractor: University of Surrey

The Food Standards Agency believes that a well-trained food industry workforce is an important factor in helping to raise food safety standards and reduce the burden of foodborne disease. Legal requirements for hygiene training are contained in existing food hygiene legislation. The Agency commissioned this project to take stock of the impact that training has had on food safety practices and standards within the UK food industry and to consider the need and scope for further developments and better training. The aim is to inform Agency policy in this area and encourage wider debate.

The research will determine the quantity and nature of existing UK food hygiene and safety (including Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)) training courses, qualifications and training materials. It will also determine the uptake, barriers to uptake and nature of training in different sectors of the food industry (catering, manufacture and retail) and the extent to which acquired knowledge is retained and applied in practice.

The work is being guided by a Steering Committee comprised of experienced representatives from academia, an enforcement agency and the catering, retail and manufacturing sectors.

A wide range of methods will be employed, including a desk-based study of training material, telephone and on-site interviews, questionnaires and group tests of food business employees and managers.

UK legislation requires that operators of food businesses ensure that food handlers engaged in the business are supervised, instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity. Through a series of five studies, this project reviews and evaluates the impact of food hygiene and safety training provision on food safety practices and standards. This included postal questionnaires with a target population of independent, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME).

Along with a review of food hygiene training studies, a response rate of around 10% (321) from UK food businesses was achieved across regions. Responses came from both large and small food businesses, giving their opinions on food hygiene training provision. In the overall results there were some differences in relation to sector and business size. However, given the relatively small sample size and low response rate, care must be taken in generalising from the results, as they do not necessarily reflect the views held across the UK food industry.

The survey showed:

• the most important reported benefit of the training was that it protects customers and ensures food produced is safe
• the least important benefit was that it reduces turnover of personnel
• the main barrier to training was increased business costs
• food businesses felt that the benefits of training are mainly apparent in the short term
• they felt that safety standards are most improved through on-the-job training, and least by self-instruction

Managers agreed that it was easiest to retain knowledge and skills gained from on-the-job training, but that it was also easy to retain knowledge and skills gained from other forms of training. Self-instruction scored lowest of all the types of training. Visual monitoring was the most frequently used method of monitoring the impact of training on behaviour; the least used method was bacteriological testing.

Eight in ten of the responding managers reported having documented Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) procedures, with 11% reporting they do not. Smaller businesses reported doing so less frequently. Eight in ten managers report identifying all the Critical Control Points (CCPs), with 12% reporting they do not.

Managers felt that the best reasons for using external training were because it results in a nationally recognised qualification, is always up to date with current legislation, is effective in improving knowledge, and is effective in improving work practices.

The report supports existing Agency policy on food safety training because it showed that training protects consumers and a range of methods can be effective in achieving the desired outcomes, including on the job instruction as well as formal courses.

The final report is available from the Agency’s Information Centre.
To obtain a copy, please contact the Enquiry Desk, Information Services, Food Standards Agency (tel: 020 7276 8181/8182 or email: infocentre@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk)

Contact: For any enquiries concerning this research project, please contact the relevant Programme contact or email: science@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk