Lost Food Hygiene Certificate: What to Do Next

If you handle food at work, it is a legal requirement to have food hygiene training. This ensures the safety of the general public, your fellow staff and your business reputation. You will be visited by the Environmental Health Officer, who always wants evidence of this training. One of the best forms of evidence is a verifiable food hygiene certificate. However, what if disaster strikes and you misplace that vital piece of paper? A lost food hygiene certificate could mean the difference between successful and unsuccessful inspections.

So, what if I’ve lost my food hygiene certificate?

Fortunately, when you train with us, you’ll have access to our unique online learning management system. The ‘LMS’ stores easily-accessible copies of all your training certificates in one central online location. You can view your certificates from virtually any device with an internet connection, at any time after completion.

If you’ve lost your food hygiene training certificate and you can’t get a replacement, the best course of action is to take a new course. You shouldn’t be caught without one when the EHO comes calling; they want proof, so you need to be fully prepared.

Do I only need to take a food hygiene course once?

Many people believe that food hygiene training only needs to be completed once in a career.

However, the laws and guidance surrounding food hygiene change over time. As a food professional, you have a legal responsibility to keep up to date with these changes relating to food safety.

For this reason, you are legally required to refresh your food hygiene training regularly. We recommend doing this at least once every 2 years.

Will my food hygiene training certificate expire?

Verifiable providers include expiry dates with their certificates, so that you know when you need to refresh according to government guidelines.

Make a note of the date on your food hygiene certificate so that you know when to arrange refresher training. You should arrange a new course before the expiry date on your current certificate, to give you some overlap time in case of inspection. After all, you and your business could face punishment if you don’t have proof of food hygiene training for the EHO. Not only that, not being aware of good, up-to-date food hygiene practice can have consequences of its own.

What will happen if I am caught without food hygiene training?

If you are legally required to have a food hygiene training in your role, and an inspector finds out that you don’t have it, you could be in trouble.

Firstly, a bad inspection can affect your business’ food hygiene rating. Social media commentary and Google reviews means that customers will simply click away from your website if your food hygiene is poor. Moreover, you as an individual could face serious prosecution.

Want more information about food hygiene training ?

In conclusion, you should always have a verifiable food hygiene certificate on hand. A lost food hygiene certificate will not be a valid excuse for the EHO inspector.

You can take our Level 1 Food Hygiene courses and Level 2 Food Hygiene courses, entirely online, in just 1 to 2 hours. Moreover, with the option to pause and restart the course as many times as you need, these are our most flexible training options.

Purchase today and start training immediately. You can download your verifiable food hygiene certificate immediately upon completion.

Our friendly customer support team is always happy to talk through your food hygiene training options. Why not give us a call on 01327 552136, email us at hello@smarthorizons.co.uk, or use the live chat feature on this website to speak to us during office hours. We’re here to help from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.