You can do food hygiene training online in the UK with Lift College, which offers four courses at £19.99 each, pay once: Food Hygiene Level 1 (2 hours, for front of house and low risk roles), Food Hygiene Level 2 (3 hours, for anyone who prepares, cooks or serves food), Food Hygiene Level 3 (10 hours, for supervisors and managers, including HACCP principles) and Allergen Awareness Training (1 hour, on the 14 allergens and Natasha's Law). Your CPD certificate issued by Lift College is ready the same day you pass, and the refresher is free when it is due. Below, Lift College is compared with High Speed Training, Virtual College, Food Hygiene Certificate and Food Safety UK, with prices checked on 17 October 2026.
Which level do you need?
Your employer decides the level your role needs. As a guide:
| Your role | Course | Hours | Refresh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waiter, bar staff, kitchen porter, cleaner; selling wrapped food; food bank or community café volunteer | Food Hygiene Level 1 | 2 hours, 5 modules | Every 3 years, free |
| Chef, cook, kitchen assistant; food in a care home, nursery or school; café, takeaway, pub or food van; home cook selling food; deli or butcher counter | Food Hygiene Level 2 | 3 hours, 7 modules | Every 3 years, free |
| Supervisor, sous chef, head chef; manager of a café, restaurant or pub; catering lead; owner who writes the food safety procedures | Food Hygiene Level 3 | 10 hours, 8 modules | Every 3 years, free |
| Anyone who prepares, serves or sells food | Allergen Awareness Training | 1 hour, 4 modules | Every 12 months, free |
Level 2 and Level 3 introduce allergens and Allergen Awareness Training covers them in detail, so many businesses take both. People who develop and run a business's food safety procedures have one extra legal requirement: under Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, they must have "received adequate training in the application of the HACCP principles", which Level 3 covers. Every course is for learners aged 16 or over. See all four side by side on the food hygiene courses page.
Comparison table: Level 2 and Level 3 food hygiene courses online
Details are as each provider shows them on its own course page; "Check provider" means the page did not state it.
| Provider | Course | Price (prices checked on 17 October 2026) | Length | Refresh or validity as stated | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lift College | Food Hygiene Level 2 | £19.99, pay once; nothing added at checkout | 3 hours, 7 modules; 80% to pass, unlimited free retakes | Recommended refresh every 3 years; refresher free | CPD certificate issued by Lift College, PDF the same day, unique number and verification link |
| Lift College | Food Hygiene Level 3 | £19.99, pay once; nothing added at checkout | 10 hours, 8 modules; 80% to pass, unlimited free retakes | Recommended refresh every 3 years; refresher free | CPD certificate issued by Lift College, PDF the same day, unique number and verification link |
| High Speed Training | Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering | £20 +VAT | 2 to 3 hours, 4 modules; 30 questions, 80% pass mark | No expiry date; recommended renewal 3 years | Same day digital certificate, printed copy posted next working day; lists City & Guilds Assured and Assured by RoSPA Qualifications |
| High Speed Training | Level 3 Food Hygiene Course in Catering | £130 +VAT | 8 to 10 hours, 15 modules; 45 questions, 80% pass mark | No expiry date; recommended renewal 3 years | Same day digital certificate, printed copy posted next working day |
| Virtual College | Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety Course for Catering | £16.00+ VAT, self printed certificate (posted certificate £4.00 extra) | 2 to 3 hours, 12 modules; 30 questions, 75% pass mark, three attempts at no extra cost | No expiry date; training recommended every three years | Digital certificate to download; described as CPD Certified, RoSPA Assured |
| Virtual College | Level 3 Food Hygiene Training Course in Catering | £89.00+ VAT, shown with posted certificate (self printed price: Check provider) | 8 to 9 hours, 13 modules; 30 questions, 75% pass mark, three attempts at no extra cost | No set validity; renewal recommended every three years | Digital or posted certificate; described as RoSPA Assured, CPD Certified |
| Food Hygiene Certificate (Online CPD Academy) | Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate | £13.99 per licence (VAT: Check provider) | Around 1 to 2 hours, 14 modules; 80% pass mark, free retakes | No expiry date; refresh every three years recommended | Instant PDF certificate, no posted copy; names RoSPA Qualifications and Institute of Hospitality |
| Food Hygiene Certificate (Online CPD Academy) | Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate | £40.00 per licence (VAT: Check provider) | Around 4 hours, 5 modules; 80% pass mark, free retakes | No expiry date; refresh every three years recommended | Instant PDF certificate |
| Food Safety UK | Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering | £10 +VAT (£12 inc) | 3 hours, 7 units; 30 question exam, 80% pass mark, free resits | Check provider | PDF certificate emailed on passing, no hard copy; described as RoSPA Qualifications assured and CPD Certified |
The biggest gap is at Level 3, where Lift College's 10 hour course is £19.99, pay once. Lift College is the only provider in this table with the same price at both levels. Food Safety UK sells Level 2 only. Prices change, so check the provider before you buy. For more providers, see our guides to Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 food hygiene certificates and allergen awareness training online.
What the Food Standards Agency says about food handler training
No law requires a food handler to hold a specific certificate. The Food Standards Agency's guidance for food banks and charities says "Food handlers don't have to hold a food hygiene certificate to prepare or sell food." They must still be supervised and trained in food hygiene in line with the area they work in, through training on the job, self study or prior experience. Owners and managers "must have had suitable training in food safety and hygiene".
GOV.UK guidance for running a food business, in the Food Standards Agency's collection, agrees: "Food handlers do not have to hold a food hygiene certificate." It lists courses as one way to learn, and adds that "Staff must be trained to manage allergies."
The FSA also runs its own Food Allergy Training online, about three hours in six modules, aimed mainly at enforcement officers.
What employers and EHOs look for in a certificate
Your employer decides the training your role needs, and must be able to show it was done. GOV.UK guidance tells food businesses to "Keep a record of any training staff have completed so you can show this during an inspection." Under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, the environmental health officer looks at food handling, the condition of the premises, and "how the business manages ways of keeping food safe, looking at processes, training and systems".
So choose a certificate that works as that record. Check it shows:
- The right level for the job. Level 1 for low risk roles, Level 2 for open food, Level 3 for supervisors.
- The course, hours and completion date.
- A refresh date. Most of the providers above say their certificates have no expiry date and recommend refreshing every three years.
- A way to check it. A certificate number or link that a manager or inspector can verify.
Lift College's certificate does each of these. It records the course, the hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date, with a unique certificate number and a verification link.
Buying food hygiene training for a team
High Speed Training lists bulk discount bands on its Level 2 page: 10 or more courses, 10% off; 50 or more, 20% off; 100 or more, 30% off; 500 or more, 40% off.
Lift College offers a free Lift College organisation account, which takes 15% off every course for every person, so each food hygiene course is £16.99 a learner, with no account fee and no minimum. Pay by card, or by invoice on 30 day terms with your own PO number. You follow each learner's progress and can download a progress report that opens in Excel. Put kitchen staff on Food Hygiene Level 2, supervisors on Level 3 and front of house on Level 1, each at £16.99 a course on the account.
Open a free organisation account to enrol your team.
Your next step
View the Food Hygiene Level 2 course
£19.99, pay once