Food Safety Handler

It is a legal requirement across Australia that all Food Handlers are adequately trained in food safety. CFT’s Food Handling Certificate course is suitable for anyone that prepares, handles, or serves food as part of their job, even if it is not their primary focus.

Example roles that will benefit from the knowledge of the SITXFSA005 include chefs, kitchen hands, serving staff, or canteen workers.

Service station attendants might also be responsible for selling pies and sausage rolls alongside fuel. In this instance, they would need to be trained in adequate Food Safety Level 1.

CFT teaches the Food Handling Certificate (Level 1) with an emphasis on meeting the legal requirements of the nationally accredited course. Within this scope, the course also ensures that all handlers are well-equipped to prevent food safety incidences and have enough training to advance onto Level 2 training when ready.

As most of the course is hosted online, CFT encourages students to complete it at their leisure, ensuring that students are absorbing all the learning resources provided with the course. The time it takes you to complete the required modules is impacted by your existing knowledge of food safety and your English proficiency. Typically, it takes anywhere between 2-4 hours’ worth of study to complete the course.

It is entirely possible for students to complete all aspects of the Level 1 Food Handling Certificate on the day – but this is not necessary.

This course is vital to entry-level food handlers as it aims to enhance their skills around food and broaden their knowledge about properly handling food.

Within the food, retail, and hospitality industry, it is imperative to maintain high standards of personal hygiene and understand how to keep food safe from bacteria and germs. SITXFSA005 (previously SITXFSA001) stresses the importance of being aware of personal hygiene and understanding that anyone can unknowingly transmit viral infections through dirty hands, saliva, or strands of hair.

Finally, the course with CFT is important as it is a prerequisite for further study to become an accredited Food Safety Supervisor.

The course outline provided above is relevant solely to the hospitality or retail food business industry.

For handlers of food in the aged care, childcare, or medical sector, you will need to complete the food safety level 1 qualification in HLTFSE001.

For those working in Bakeries, food processing and other food manufacturing facilities, you will need to complete food safety units FBPFSY1002.

CFT’s list of Food Safety Courses outlines all relevant requirements.

Once you have successfully completed all of the online assessment tasks outlined in the SITXFSA005/SITXFSA001 program and verified your USI (`Unique Student Identifier’) on our database, you can access a copy of your secure e-certificate immediately and print it off securely from your home or office.

Assessment in the level 1 course combines two components:

A series of online questions to assess your knowledge, AND
A workplace practical skills assignment.
In order to be able to fully complete the assessment requirements for the CFT online aspects of the courses, students must have access to an appropriate working environment that permits the student to demonstrate to a suitably qualified third-party observer the relevant competencies. This aspect of the workplace assignment is completed on the job, in a real or simulated workplace environment.

If you are not working at the time of the assessment and need this certification in order to enter the workforce, please get in contact with the CFT team to discuss your options.

Further details can be found here.

Your 3rd party observer needs to be a person whose qualifications are equal to or above the level being assessed, OR a person who has a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the food industry.

If you don't currently have a workplace or workplace supervisor this practical assignment can be completed in your home kitchen as a simulated environment and observed by someone suitably experienced in food preparation.