Food handler course for Spain free, with a certificate

You are a food handler (manipulador de alimentos) if your job means touching food that someone is going to eat: you prepare it, serve it, sell it unpackaged, store it or transport it. Waiters, cooks and kitchen assistants, bakers, pastry cooks, baristas, deli, butcher's, fishmonger's or greengrocer's counter staff, canteen staff and food industry workers.

What the law says

• The business is primarily responsible for food safety (Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Article 1).
• The business must ensure that its food handlers are supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene «in line with their work activities», and that whoever runs the food safety management system (HACCP, APPCC in Spanish) is trained in its principles.
• There is no official card any more. Spanish Royal Decree 109/2010 repealed Royal Decree 202/2000, which regulated it. According to AESAN there is no official format: course certificates are in free format, are valid throughout Spain and do not expire by law, although the business must review and update your knowledge.
• No one approves these courses. Training providers need no authorisation and may not claim to be approved by the Spanish Ministry or by AESAN.

Your part

Apply the good hygiene practices you learn here and those set by your employer, report it if you are ill (module 3) and follow the workplace's food safety plan (module 7). That is mainly what an inspection checks: that you work properly and that the business supervises you and corrects what goes wrong.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Article 1 and Annex II, Chapter XII · Spanish Royal Decree 109/2010 (repeals Royal Decree 202/2000 on food handlers; in Spanish), sole repealing provision · AESAN, information note on food handler training (2013, in Spanish), points 1 to 5 · AESAN, guidance document on food handler training (2010, in Spanish)

Food is dangerous when it contains something that can harm whoever eats it. There are four kinds of hazard:

• Biological: bacteria (such as Salmonella or Listeria), viruses (such as hepatitis A) and parasites (such as Anisakis in fish).
• Chemical: traces of cleaning or disinfecting products, insecticides or any toxic substance that ends up in food by mistake.
• Physical: glass, bits of plastic or metal, staples, hair, stones.
• Allergens: for someone with an allergy, a trace of peanut or prawn is as dangerous as a bacterium (module 6).

How people get ill

AESAN describes three routes: infection (eating the live microorganism, as in salmonellosis or hepatitis A), intoxication (eating the toxin it has already produced, as in botulism or staphylococcal toxin) and parasitic disease (such as trichinellosis or anisakiasis).

Microorganisms multiply when they have nutrients, moisture, a suitable temperature and time. That is why almost every rule in this course aims at one of three things: stopping them reaching the food, stopping them multiplying (cold and little time) or killing them (heat).

Looks are not enough. Heavily contaminated food can look, smell and taste fine.

Source: AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish) · Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, points 1 to 3

You are the main route by which germs reach food: hands, hair, nose, mouth, wounds and clothes. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 puts it like this:

• Everyone working in a food-handling area must maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and wear suitable, clean and, where necessary, protective clothing.
• If you suffer from or carry a disease that can be passed on through food, or have infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea, you may not handle food or enter the area if there is any risk of contaminating it.
• In that case you must report it immediately to the business: the illness or symptoms and, if possible, the cause.
• Washbasins for hands must have hot and cold running water and materials for cleaning and drying hands hygienically.

When to wash your hands

AESAN asks for hands to be clean at all times, washed whenever necessary and always after using the toilet. «Whenever necessary» includes at least: when you start work, after touching raw food, rubbish, money or your phone, after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, and after cleaning.

Wash them with soap and water, rubbing palms, backs, between the fingers and nails, and dry them with single-use paper: not on your apron or a cloth.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter I (point 4) and Chapter VIII · AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish), rule 7

Cold slows germs down, heat kills them and time at room temperature lets them multiply. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires:

• That the cold chain is not broken. Only short periods outside temperature control are allowed for practical reasons (preparing, transporting, serving), and only if they do not create a risk.
• That food to be kept or served cold is chilled as quickly as possible after cooking.
• That thawing minimises risk (in the cold room, not on the worktop) and that the liquid released is drained if it may be a risk.

AESAN's figures

The regulation sets no temperatures. AESAN gives these reference values, and your employer may set its own in its food safety plan:

• Cooking: the centre of the food should reach 70 °C for at least 2 minutes.
• Holding cooked food: hot, above 60 °C; cold, at 5 °C at most.
• Leftovers: into the fridge as soon as possible and never more than 2 hours at room temperature; reheat to 70 °C for 2 minutes.
• Raw or undercooked fish (anchovies in vinegar, sushi, ceviche, marinated or cold-smoked fish): to prevent Anisakis it is frozen first at −20 °C for 24 hours or at −35 °C for at least 15 hours. A restaurant that freezes it must tell customers, on the menu, with a notice or by other means, that it has been frozen.

Dates on the label

• «Use by» date (fecha de caducidad): found on highly perishable foods. After that date the food is not considered safe: it is neither served nor sold.
• «Best before» date (consumir preferentemente antes del…): how long the food keeps its qualities if stored properly. It is not a safety date.

A simple habit in the store room: first in, first out. Put whatever expires first at the front.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, points 2, 5, 6 and 7 · AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish), rules 2 to 5 · AESAN, Anisakis campaign (in Spanish) · Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Articles 2(2)(r) and 24

Cross-contamination happens when a hazard passes from one food, surface or utensil to another food: from raw meat to the salad via the chopping board, from a cloth to clean plates. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires food to be protected against any source of contamination at every stage.

How to prevent it

• Keep raw and cooked apart: covered, and placed so that raw food cannot drip onto food that is ready to eat.
• Boards, knives and surfaces: clean them before moving from a raw food to a ready-to-eat one, or use different ones.
• A kitchen cloth can be an excellent vehicle for contamination: AESAN recommends kitchen paper.
• Use only drinking water, including for washing and preparing food.

Cleaning and disinfection

Premises and equipment must be clean and in good condition. Cleaning removes dirt; disinfection reduces the microorganisms that remain. Clean first, then disinfect, following the business's cleaning plan and the product instructions.

Cleaning products and any non-food substance must be labelled and stored in separate, securely closed containers, away from food. Never in a water or soft-drink bottle.

Waste and pests

• Waste is removed as quickly as possible from areas where there is food and goes into closable containers.
• The business must have procedures against pests (insects, rodents) and keep domestic animals out of places where food is prepared or stored. If you see signs, report them.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapters I, V, VI, VII and IX (points 3, 4 and 8) · AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish), rules 6 to 9

For someone with an allergy, a tiny amount of a food can cause a serious reaction. That is why the law requires allergen information and steps to keep allergens out of food where they should not be.

The 14 allergens that must be declared

1. Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut)
2. Crustaceans
3. Eggs
4. Fish
5. Peanuts
6. Soybeans
7. Milk (including lactose)
8. Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamias)
9. Celery
10. Mustard
11. Sesame seeds
12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (over 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l)
13. Lupin
14. Molluscs

Products made from them count too: wheat flour, soy sauce, butter, surimi… Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 lists some exceptions, such as wheat-based glucose syrups or fully refined soybean oil.

How customers are informed

• Prepacked food: allergens appear in the list of ingredients emphasised (different font, style or background colour). If there is no list, with the word «contains» (contiene).
• Non-prepacked food (bars, restaurants, canteens, bakeries, delis, takeaways): allergen information is also mandatory. In Spain, how it is given is set by Royal Decree 126/2015; your employer must have the information for each dish or product.
• «Gluten-free» may only be used if the food contains 20 mg/kg of gluten or less.

Keeping allergens where they belong

Since Regulation (EU) 2021/382, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 says that equipment, containers and transport used with an allergen must not be used for food that does not contain it unless they have been cleaned and checked, at least for the absence of visible traces.

• Prepare dishes for people with allergies with clean utensils and surfaces, and keep them covered and separate.
• Frying oil is equipment too: if battered fish is fried in the fryer, chips fried afterwards may contain fish and gluten.
• If you change an ingredient or a brand, the dish's allergen information may change: tell whoever keeps it up to date.

When a customer asks

Never answer «I don't think it has any». Check the dish's information and, if you are not sure, say so and ask your manager or the kitchen. «I'm not sure, let me check» is far better than an allergic reaction.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Articles 9, 21 and 44 and Annex II · Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, point 9 · Regulation (EU) 2021/382 (allergens, food redistribution and food safety culture) · AESAN, «Labelling of substances causing allergies and intolerances» (in Spanish)

Every food business (except primary production) must have a food safety management system based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points; APPCC in Spanish). Its principles, in plain words:

1. Identify the hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced.
2. Identify the critical control points: the steps where control is essential (for example, cooking or the cold room).
3. Set critical limits (for example, a temperature) that separate what is acceptable from what is not.
4. Monitor those points.
5. Set corrective actions for when something goes out of control.
6. Check regularly that everything works.
7. Keep documents and records suited to the nature and size of the business.

A small bar does not need the same as a factory: the regulation takes the size of the business into account, and each sector's guides to good hygiene practice help businesses comply. Food handler training is also part of the system: the business plans what training each job needs, supervises how you work and corrects bad practice.

Your part

• Follow the plan's instructions: temperatures, cleaning, receiving deliveries, allergens.
• Fill in the records assigned to you truthfully: cold room temperatures, cleaning, frying oil…
• If a value is outside the limit, apply the planned corrective action and tell your manager.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Articles 5, 7 and 8 · AESAN, guidance document on food handler training (2010, in Spanish)

Since 2021, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (as amended by Regulation (EU) 2021/382) requires businesses to have an appropriate food safety culture and to be able to prove it. That means:

• Commitment from management and all employees to producing and serving safe food.
• Leadership and everyone taking part in food safety practices.
• Everyone knowing the hazards and why hygiene matters.
• Open and clear communication between everyone, including about deviations (what has gone wrong) and what is expected of each person.
• Enough resources to handle food safely.

Management must also make everyone's roles clear, make sure staff get proper training and supervision and check that controls are carried out on time. All of this in proportion to the nature and size of the business.

What it means for you

Reporting a problem is part of your job: a cold room that is not cooling, a dish served without checking allergens, a sick colleague handling food. In a good food safety culture these things are raised in time, not hidden.

Donating food

The same regulation allows food to be donated if it is checked and found safe: food with a «use by» date only before that date expires; food with a «best before» date also after that date.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapters Va and XIa · Regulation (EU) 2021/382 (allergens, food redistribution and food safety culture)