{"id":1034,"date":"2022-10-26T11:53:43","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T11:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andyh53.sg-host.com\/?p=347"},"modified":"2026-01-23T12:18:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:18:01","slug":"do-my-volunteers-need-food-safety-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesaferfoodgroup.com\/knowledge\/do-my-volunteers-need-food-safety-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Do volunteers need food safety training?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When running a volunteer organisation, community group, sports club or church, one of the many questions you may have is whether your volunteers need food safety training. The answer to this question is tied to whether you are a registered food business. According to the Food Standards Agency advice on providing food at charity, religious or community events, this depends on whether you provide food on an occasional and small scale basis \u2013 in which case you do not qualify as a food business \u2013 or on a regular and organised basis \u2013 in which case, you may need to register as a food business. In any case, food supplied at any event <strong>must<\/strong> comply with food law and be safe to eat.<\/p>\n<h2>Who does this apply to?<\/h2>\n<p>If you are unsure which category you fall into, seek advice from your EHO (contactable via your local council). Don\u2019t be afraid that this will lead to extra red tape \u2013 your EHO is there to help and advise you, and responsible planning at the outset may prevent a far more tricky situation if your food sales lead you into legal problems along the way. To give you examples, a church group selling tea and homemade cake at an annual jumble sale is not likely to qualify as a food business, but a rugby club selling cooked bacon rolls and pies every Sunday morning probably will. The church group should still make sure that their food and drink is fresh and kept safely, and that they have appropriate allergen information for their cakes\u2013 but they won\u2019t need regular checks from an EHO.<\/p>\n<h2>Do my volunteers need food safety training?<\/h2>\n<p>All food businesses need to comply with all EU food hygiene laws. This includes those related to food hygiene training and allergen awareness. This means that the person in charge of the event or the catering set up must ensure that anyone preparing or handling food receives <em>\u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.food.gov.uk\/business-guidance\/food-hygiene-for-your-business\">the appropriate supervision and training in food hygiene and food allergens, which is in-line with the area they work in and will enable them to handle food in the safest way<\/a>\u2019<\/em> (The Food Standards Agency).<\/p>\n<p>This can be ensured by taking accredited training. Online courses are often the most cost and time-effective route for volunteers; reputable providers can advise on the correct level of training. It could also be achieved by on-the-job training and supervision by a suitable person on-site. The volunteers themselves may already have sufficient skills and experience to allow them to undertake the role safely. The person in charge <strong>must<\/strong> be able to demonstrate that the skills of each volunteer have been considered and are appropriate for their role.<\/p>\n<h2>How we can help<\/h2>\n<p>At the Safer Food Group, we support a number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesaferfoodgroup.com\/knowledge\/our-customers-nottingham-moderns-rugby-club\/\">youth organisations, churches, sports clubs and charities<\/a> with their food hygiene and allergen training requirements. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesaferfoodgroup.com\/food-hygiene-level-2-catering.php\">Our flexible, value-for-money courses<\/a> allow organisations to purchase courses on behalf of their volunteers, taking advantage of our bulk purchase prices and allowing learners to undertake the training at a time that fits with their busy schedules. This will provide your volunteers with the food safety training that can help keep consumers safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When running a volunteer organisation, community group, sports club or church, one of the many [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[208],"tags":[216],"class_list":["post-1034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sectors","tag-charity-and-volunteers"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Do volunteers need food safety training? - The Safer Food Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We address the rules for volunteers, churches and community groups, including whether you 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