Whether you want to promote a workplace learning culture, improve your team’s performance, or support the career development of food service workers, these food industry courses can help you attain any or all of those objectives. Our curated list contains the best free training courses for the food and drink industry. Ensure that your internal standards comply with food safety regulations by enrolling your team on these courses for free.
1. Managing Difficult Customers Course
If your workers aren’t properly trained on how to manage aggressive customer behaviour, it can have devastating consequences on their safety and the reputation of the food business. The struggle of dealing with a challenging customer shouldn’t be neglected just because it’s common in the food industry. Protect your workers and your business by enrolling them on this training course for free. After taking this course, they’ll know when to eject customers from the establishment for their behaviour and how to calmly communicate these decisions to customers.
Scope:
- Establishing boundaries with respect
- Finding mutually acceptable resolutions
- Using de-escalation and active listening
- Understanding your scope of responsibility
Best for: Front Of House (FOH) staff and other customer-facing employees
Cost: Free
2. Personal Hygiene for Food Retail Workers Course
Preventing food contamination is a major requirement for food establishments. Your workers need to be aware of how their personal hygiene plays a role in food safety. Without the right training, they might show up to work wearing improper attire or forget to wash their hands. Bad food hygiene can also affect how customers perceive your establishment. A noticeable lack of hygiene among workers can imply poor management and low-quality standards. Stop foodborne illnesses and bad customer reviews by enrolling your workers on this free training course.
Scope:
- Understanding the importance of personal hygiene
- Washing your hands and using hand sanitisers effectively
- Wearing work-appropriate clothing and footwear
- Using hair nets, caps, and other hair restraints correctly
Best for: Back Of House (BOH) staff and other food handlers
Cost: Free
3. Basic Kitchen Operations Course
Do you want to provide your workers with refresher training? Are most of them new to the food industry or just food preparation in general? If you’ve answered yes to any of those questions, then this free course is just what you’ve been searching for. With this course, your workers will get an overview of the different culinary tools found in the kitchen as well as ingredient measurement techniques. After taking this course, they will be familiar with common recipe terminology and know how to execute recipes perfectly.
Scope:
- Holding and gripping kitchen knives in a safe manner
- Properly maintaining and sharpening kitchen knives
- Presenting and plating food in a visually appealing way
- Troubleshooting and solving problems in the kitchen
Best for: Cooks, kitchen helpers, and other kitchen staff
Cost: Free
4. Food Safety and Sanitation Course
Like personal hygiene, sanitation is critical to protecting the health of your customers and preventing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. These outbreaks can mark your establishment as unsafe and customers aren’t likely to return even when the outbreak is over. Furthermore, an outbreak can break down the trust you’ve built with your customers and regulatory authorities. That’s why it’s important for your workers to know about sanitation practices and food safety management systems. Ensure that workers understand concepts such as cross-contamination and HACCP by enrolling them into this free training course.
Scope:
- Cleaning food service equipment
- Following food safety rules
- Using temperature control
- Washing your hands properly
Best for: Those in charge of kitchen cleaning, maintenance, and food hygiene
Cost: Free
5. Maintain Equipment and Work Area in Food Retail Course
Pests and vermin are not only unsightly but are hazardous to the safety and quality of food as well. Infestations pose an even bigger problem since they can render ingredients and other stock unusable. Additionally, health inspectors aren’t likely to give their approval if they see a rat running through the floor. To stop rodents and insects from causing havoc on your reputation, you need to train workers to clean equipment, utensils, and other objects in the facility on a regular basis. Luckily, you can do that with this free training course.
Scope:
- Developing a schedule for cleaning and sanitising
- Implementing measures to prevent infestations
- Understanding the types of contaminants in food retail
- Identifying and disposing of damaged equipment
Best for: Kitchen managers and restaurant administrators
Cost: Free
6. Maintain Stock Handling and Storage Areas Course
Do you know about the required environmental conditions for storing perishable and non-perishable stock? More importantly, do your workers know? Well, you can ensure that they do by enrolling them on this training course for free. After taking this course, your workers will also know how to organise stock in storage areas and even meet special storage requirements. Furthermore, they’ll know how to handle food waste effectively through proper segregation and disposal procedures. If you want to have clean stock handling and storage areas in your establishment, then this course can help you achieve that.
Scope:
- Preventing spoilage and expiration through rotation
- Implementing environmental control measures
- Minimising health and safety risks in waste handling
- Creating spill response plans and other emergency procedures
Best for: Food storeroom managers and pantry supervisors
Cost: Free
7. Follow Food Safety Program Course
Safety is the first step in producing high-quality food. You can enhance quality assurance in your food production process by enrolling your workers on this course for free. In this course, they’ll learn how to maintain the quality of food products through the HACCP system. Be well-prepared for an audit or inspection by encouraging your workers to record food safety information. This course will show them how to analyse food handling processes and control hazards in food production.
Scope:
- Understanding the components of a food safety program
- Taking corrective actions for non-compliance and hazards
- Monitoring food safety and recording food safety information
- Implementing effective control measures for food safety hazards
Best for: Food technologists and quality assurance personnel
Cost: Free
8. Safe Food Handling and Storage Course
Food handling is an extensive process that covers transportation, display, and disposal. Throughout this process, there are many food safety risks involved. It can be hard to ensure that none of these risks result in problems or incidents. But with this free training course, your workers will at least be better equipped to manage food safety risks. In this course, they’ll learn about food hygiene, the temperature danger zone, as well as the proper procedures for receiving and transporting food supplies.
Scope:
- Storing food to ensure safety and freshness
- Cooling food using the 2-hour / 4-hour rule
- Reheating food at safe internal temperatures
- Using the right display equipment and packaging
Best for: Food handlers, caterers, and food logistics workers
Cost: Free
9. Merchandise Food Products Course
Do you want to enhance the customer experience? If so, enrol your workers into this free training course on merchandising food products. They’ll learn how to create attractive displays using visual merchandising techniques while also incorporating seasonal themes and promotional elements. With this course, your workers will have the tools they need to increase both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Ensure that your workers know what to do with damaged or expired food products as well as how to minimise shrinkage and losses.
Scope:
- Understanding colour, lighting, and layout principles
- Maintaining the safety and quality of food displays
- Using demand forecasting and restocking strategies
- Implementing proper storage and rotation techniques
Best for: Food merchandisers and food sales promoters
Cost: Free
10. Inventory Management Course
Any industry handling physical assets will need its workers to understand inventory management. With the food industry, inventory management is even more crucial since a lot of major ingredients are perishable. Non-perishable foods still need to be tracked, stored, and transported in an efficient manner. Training your workers in inventory management might seem like a daunting task, but it actually doesn’t have to be that way. Your workers can have a solid understanding of inventory management in less than an hour with this free training course.
Scope:
- Using the different inventory management methods
- Implementing effective stock control measures
- Streamlining inventory management using technology
- Collaborating with suppliers for optimised inventory levels
Best for: Workers who want to take leadership roles in food operations
Cost: Free
Other Workplace Skills Courses
If you’re looking for more courses related to workplace skills, check out more of our curated lists:
- 10 Best Free Courses to Enhance Workplace Skills for Retail
- Top 10 Soft Skill Courses to Upskill Your Employees
You can also browse our complete Course Library to find many more free training and assessment opportunities.
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