Rules concerning food safety mean that anyone who is handling or serving food to the public needs to have basic food safety training. As well as the obvious such as restaurant and cafe staff, takeaways and canteens, this also includes personnel at events such as church coffee mornings, school fetes, senior citizens’ lunch clubs and nursery groups.
Members from South Parade Baptist Church in Leeds recently attended a one-day Food Safety Course with training experts Verner Wheelock Associates. This was followed by the Level 2 Award in Food Safety for Catering examination.
The group were of mixed age, including a couple of members who are over eighty, which just demonstrates that you are never too old to learn something new. The course was held at the church in a room known as the Green House, where a newly refurbished catering kitchen and serving area has recently been opened. The kitchen is used in catering for various groups in the church and the wider community. Typical uses include a monthly retired persons’ lunch, a drop-in evening for homeless men and women, student lunches and catering for under fives.
Verner Wheelock Associates Managing Director, Alison Wheelock said “We mainly provide services to food manufacturers, but it’s great to see community members like those from South Parade Baptist Church taking food safety seriously. Training does not take long – in this case, just a day – but everyone involved can be confident that the food they are serving is safe. When there is a group of people, our tutors are happy to train on your own premises, but this course is also available online if you prefer to study at your own pace.”
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