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Food Hygiene Course Requirements for Catering

It is mandatory that professional caterers take a course to obtain a license to cater food for public and private functions. Licensing requirements and certifications vary from state to state, and your State Department of Health is responsible for establishing the guidelines for training and certification of all food handlers.

  1. Significance

    • Caterers must take food-hygiene courses to learn to prepare and serve food items and to avoid potential hazards that surround the issue of food safety. Through the coursework, caterers learn to identify and avoid such food hazards as bacteria and parasites. Caterers who skip certification through the food-hygiene course run the risk of being fined. In many states, fines can be as much as $5,000 per violation plus court costs.

    Types

    • Food-hygiene courses for caterers can be taken online or at local colleges, universities or vocational schools that specialize in food service or culinary arts. These schools get their accreditation through state college boards and are certified by the applicable state health departments. Most food-hygiene certification courses typically last a day. The Federal Food and Drug Administration provide educational institutions with guidance and directives in creating food-hygiene courses.

    Material

    • Food-hygiene courses for caterers review regulations concerning food safety, food preparation, biological hazards, shelf life of food items and personal hygiene in handling foods, transporting of food and state laws requiring the proper facilities used to prepare food. Caterers must pass an exam to obtain a certification, which leads to obtaining a food handler's license.

    Health Requirements

    • You must undergo a test for tuberculosis, which is administered by injecting a fluid called tuberculin under your skin in the forearm area. After two days, you must return to get a TB reading to have the results read; this is determined by whether there is swelling in the injection area. If TB is detected, a food handler's license is withheld until the condition is treated and cured.

    Costs

    • The fee to take a food hygiene course, which is determined by the school, usually ranges from $25 to $50. This fee covers classroom instruction and possibly manuals or guides to applicable laws on food safety. Food-hygiene courses also can be taken online. The price for this type of course is typically the same as for an instructor-led course.

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