The University of Salford announced yesterday (1 September) that it is offering 100 free places on an online “farm to fork” food safety specialist training programme.

The EU-funded F4ST programme, which is open to anyone working in the food industry – from small business owners to food safety inspectors – is delivered in a flexible online format. The programme includes nine modules covering subjects including an introduction to food safety, food chemistry, food microbiology, food preservation, primary production and inspection and audit.

Participants on the programme will receive 100 hours of online learning over a period of ten weeks. On completion of the programme participants will receive a recognised Pan European Food Safety Specialist qualification.

The start date for the F4ST course is September 2008, although they don’t mention any specific starting date.

You can get more information and contact details from the university’s website:
University of Salford: Free food safety courses up for grabs

A grant for £40,000 has been awarded to provide free food safety training for up to 150 local businesses in the Horsham District.

Valued at £350 per business, the professional training is available to small-to-medium food-related businesses, including small restaurants, caterers, cafés, sandwich vendors, corner shops and market stall holders.

Horsham District Council together with A Taste of Sussex made a successful bid for the funding from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which will enable local businesses to make the most of the FSA’s “Safer Food, Better Business” pack and help them to comply with the law.

Half-day training courses will be provided by independent consultants and will be held at various locations across the District and followed up with individual one-to-one coaching visits for each business.

The training will cover issues such as cleaning, cross-contamination and food storage, as well as stressing the importance of hygiene procedures and clearly setting out the responsibilities of managers and staff.

To help those businesses where English is not the main language, courses are being planned for Chinese and Turkish speakers using bilingual coaches and translators.

Cllr Brian Donnelly, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Health at Horsham District Council, said:

“The Council is keen to ensure that businesses in the Horsham District are complying with legislation and meeting the high standards that the public expects by giving all the help and assistance we can.

“This funding will be put to good use and I would urge businesses to take advantage of this training.

“Safer food handling processes will certainly further improve the quality, management and reputation of local businesses.”

To book onto a course, or for further information, please contact Horsham District Council on 01403 215403 or email publichealth.licensing@horsham.gov.uk