Skip to main content

FAQs

The Most Frequently Asked Questions about Food Safety – FAQs Answered For You

Food Safety FAQs

What is a basic food hygiene certificate?

A Basic Food Hygiene Certificate is gained when a trainee successfully completes a Level 2 basic food hygiene course. This is known by many different names including Food Handling Certificate, Food Hygiene Certificate, Food Handlers Certificate, Food Certificate NZ, Food Hygiene Certificate NZ, and Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate. The Basic Food Hygiene Certificate food safety course is for people in commercial food premises as well as those who are cooking food at home for sale.

How do I get a food hygiene certificate?

You can get a Basic Food Hygiene Certificate by enrolling in Food Safe‘s online course or on-site course. Our courses are tailored to different sectors like home food businesses, cafes, restaurants ECE, rest homes, age care facilities, and food manufacturing companies. Our Level 2 Basic Food Hygiene Certificate is an NZQA-Approved Training Scheme and fits the general Codex requirements for food handlers globally. It is approved by all Councils and Verifiers.

How long is a basic food hygiene certificate valid for?

It is recommended that you refresh your training every three years. Some food manufacturing companies require their staff to do this every year as part of their training. You can book your food safety training here.

Can I make and sell food from home?

Yes, as long as your kitchen meets the necessary food safety and hygiene requirements which can be learned as part of our basic food safety certificate course. You can use your home as a base for making and selling food as long as you register your home with your local Council and let them know you intend to use your home as business premises.

Can I get a food safety certificate online?

Yes, you can get a food safety certificate online by booking and completing our food safety course here.

HACCP FAQs

What HACCP stands for

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. HACCP is a logical, structured, and systematic approach to managing risk and controlling food safety.

What HACCP means

HACCP or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is an internationally recognised method of identifying and managing food safety-related risk. HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement, and handling, to manufacturing, distribution, and consumption of the finished product.

What are HACCP principles

The 7 principles of HACCP (as per Codex International Code of Practice):

  • Conduct a hazard analysis
  • Determine the critical control points (CCPs)
  • Establish critical limits for each CCP
  • Establish a system to monitor the control of the CCP
  • Establish the corrective action when monitoring indicates that a particular CCP is not under control
  • Establish verification procedures
  • Establish documentation concerning all procedures and records relevant to the HACCP principles and their application

How many HACCP principles are there

There are 7 principles of HACCP (as per the Codex International Code of Practice)

Who uses HACCP

HACCP can be used by companies across all the stages of the food chain – from primary production to final consumption. HACCP is a critical part of risk-based food safety programmes like Risk Management Programmes (RMPs)

What are HACCP prerequisites

HACCP Prerequisites are the Good Manufacturing Procedures, Practices, and Operations which ensure that the food is safe to eat.

  • Training
  • Production
  • Cleaning
  • Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM)
  • Personal hygiene policies
  • Calibration and verification
  • Traceability
  • Recall procedures
  • Complaint monitoring
  • Approved supplier lists and approval processes

New Zealand Qualifications FAQs

What is New Zealand Certificate Qualification?

New Zealand Certificate Qualification is designed for people working across any industry in New Zealand after graduating from school (NCEA).

How do I get a New Zealand Certificate Qualification?

You have to be working in a New Zealand company and be signed into a training plan and agreement via Food Safe. We offer this service to companies for groups of 4 or more. Email [email protected] or call us on 0800 003 097.

Read our 5 Facebook & Google trainee reviews

I really enjoyed this training, at a great pace and wasn't boring
It was informative and interesting. Keith is a good tutor
Great course instructor, easy to follow content, enjoyable
Thank you
Was a brilliant class. A lot of useful information, and also the tutor was great at engaging with everyone.
Keith Michael was super nice and welcoming! He makes the Food safe course feel engaging and very easy to understand!
Great training. Really clear and interactive. Thanks heaps Keith
Keith was exceptional in all aspects of his teachings. Very sound knowledge in Food Safety & Hygiene, Excellent Refresher. Thanks Team.
Very friendly, knowledgeable and fun.
Thank you for a great experience today.
I felt like i was in good hands the whole time and he personalised the training for all of us.
I would recommend training with Keith anytime.
Just finished my Basic Food Safety and Hygiene certificate with Keith and he was amazing! Super knowledgeable and passionate, which made the whole course really engaging. I mentioned I was doing it for superyachts and he made sure to tie everything back to that, while still keeping it relevant for everyone. Couldn’t recommend the course more!
Keith is an awesome tutor! Very welcoming and made the online class a great experience to be apart of. Easy to understand and covered all details which gave us the confidence to use what we learnt today to put into practice straight away!
Thank you so much for your time 10/10

Nga mihi-Jas
It was fun and very helpful
I thought that the training course was very good and Kieth was very helpful and very knowledgeable about how the training course works and engaged with all the students
Keith is an awesome, inclusive, knowledgeable facilitator.

Keith took the time to speak with us individually for a few minutes prior to the course starting.

Keith included each of us in scenarios and was able to point out any relevant content that would align with each business.

I felt at ease throughout.

I’m a facilitator myself and can definitely recommend Keith, you will get the right information that is delivered in a way you will understand.

I appreciate you Keith, keep up the good work.

I’m very happy to have chosen food safe as my course provider.

Tracey R
Tracey’s Kitchen
Awesome teacher!! He was very lovely to each and everyone of us in the class. Love how he took the time to make it a fun class 🙂
The online Food Safe Certification course was extremely well run - the presenter (Keith) was engaging and kept the topic interesting. Very pleased I attended the course 🙂
Awesome online course; infirmative and engaging
The teacher/class was not only encouraging, but also was also a delight to learn from. Keith made a food safety course engaging as well as highlighting the importance of it
Great course. Keith made it fun and informative
I really learned a lot today thank you
Showed me a whole new side to the food industry ,informative course ,educational and Showed how important hygiene and records are,well worth the time.Thank you
Trainer was lovely. Made the process fun and enjoyable!
Incredible team, made me understand food safety and hygiene 🙂
This team is amazing! I love the passion and knowledge they share for the industry. Highly recommend working with Food Safe, 5 stars!
Second time doing this course, this time as a refresher. It was once again enjoyable, informative and well presented.

Thanks Keith for making the hours fly by effortlessly whilst ensuring we gain and retain the knowledge to safely go about with our food businesses.
This course was amazing. Covered all areas and super helpful. Even better you can do it from the comfort of your own home
I had a really great time. I learnt lots of new things and I was very grateful to Keith for including me even though I wasn’t a Business owner like most of the others. I’m very grateful I got the opportunity to do the course.
an awesome and fun course! our trainer Keith took the time to teach and guide us through our general AND personal, background-specific content, answering all of our questions and making us smile while doing so! a convenient and informative call that has helped me massively thank you very much 🙂
Loved the course a great tutor and all the information I needed
Great pacing and level of detail at every step. Catered to each persons individual needs and answered specific questions. Highly recommend this course
This course was really helpful. All the relevant information made it easy to follow, and Keith did an excellent job😊
Efficient & effective, Keith was both well informed & entertaining.
Worth while & informative to achieve both the intended qualification, & gain real life understanding.
The instructor, Keith is truly caring, patient, and detail-oriented. He answered all our questions thoroughly and made sure everyone understood the material. I gained essential knowledge about food safety — the training was definitely worthwhile.
It was great the tutor was amazing he took you through step by step I felt very relax and confident understanding everything highly recommended
Attending the training was a great experience for me. Keith Michael explained every detail clearly and was very accommodating to questions. Thank you and more power.
Highly recommend, it is a reminder of what the expectations & standards are with food safety.
The regulations, acts and record keeping within NZ.

For me this is from a Marae view. Food safety Standards from delivery ie, Maara to kitchen.

Delivery to Storage.
Store to cupboard, fridge & freezers.
Keith was a fantastic trainer: Friendly, funny, and just a very effective trainer. Well worth it
Keith was amazing for my training he engaged with all of us let us ask any questions at anytime,overall this was a great experience, learnt a lot so thanku very much Keith 😊👍
Keith Michael from Food Safe has been amazing
I have been in the industry for 12 years and have a good understanding of the food practises. This was a re certification and not sure what to expect. His presentation was both informative , engaging and captivating. I will recommend him to anyone starting out in hospo or decertifying!
Took some online training with Keith. Really informative and great teacher.
Good experience, enjoyed the meeting and learned new things about food safety but most importantly it's a really good work course to do. 😊
Very easy accessible class on zoom, Keith(tutor) was great spoke clearly and covered all bases of the assessment which took 10 mins answering at the end. If your looking to do a food safety certificate I highly recommend Food Safe Ltd.
Very helpful and kind teacher
Namaste
Keith was a awesome tutor, i really enjoyed the class and i learnt so much about food safety practices and procedures , Thoroughly loved the Course - The Tutor actually mad it enjoyable thank you again regards Himi
Keith is amazing.explains everything so clearly.
Keith Michael from Food Safe was an outstanding trainer for the Food Safety course. He made the entire learning experience clear, engaging, and easy to understand. His teaching style was approachable and effective, breaking down complex information in a way that was relatable and easy to absorb. Keith’s ability to connect with the class and ensure everyone was confident in the material really stood out. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to complete their Food Safety training with a knowledgeable and supportive instructor.