HACCP Level 2 Course

This opening module explains what HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is and why it underpins safe food production in the UK. You'll learn the origins and principles of the HACCP system, the language used throughout the course, and how a structured, preventive approach to food safety protects both customers and your business.

Here you'll explore the main types of food safety hazard – biological, chemical, physical and allergenic – and how contamination can occur at any stage from delivery to service. Understanding how hazards enter food is essential groundwork for the hazard analysis you'll carry out later, and helps you spot risks before they reach the customer.

This module covers common foodborne illnesses, the bacteria and other pathogens responsible, and the symptoms they cause. You'll learn how poor temperature control, cross-contamination and inadequate hygiene allow these illnesses to spread, and the practical controls that keep food safe and prevent outbreaks in any food business.

You'll work through the first principle of HACCP: identifying potential hazards at each step of your food process and assessing their likelihood and severity. This module shows you how to map a process flow, analyse where things can go wrong, and prioritise the risks that need active control.

This module explains how to determine Critical Control Points – the steps where control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a hazard to a safe level. You'll learn to use decision-making tools to identify genuine CCPs, such as cooking and chilling, and distinguish them from general good practice steps.

Once your CCPs are set, you need to control them. This module covers how to establish critical limits, such as core cooking temperatures, and how to set up monitoring procedures to check that each control point stays within safe boundaries. You'll see how regular checks and accurate records keep your HACCP system working in practice.

Here you'll learn what to do when monitoring shows a critical limit has been breached. The module explains how to plan corrective actions that bring the process back under control and deal safely with any affected food, plus how verification activities confirm your HACCP plan is effective and being followed correctly.

Good documentation is the backbone of a credible HACCP system. This module shows you what records to keep, how to maintain clear and accurate paperwork, and why proper record keeping demonstrates due diligence to environmental health officers and other inspectors. Reliable records also make it far easier to review and improve your procedures over time.

This module looks at the prerequisite programmes that support any HACCP plan, including cleaning schedules, pest control, personal hygiene and staff training. You'll understand how strong good hygiene practices create the safe operating conditions your CCPs rely on, forming the foundation on which an effective food safety management system is built.

HACCP principles apply across the food industry, but they look different in each setting. This module shows how the system is applied in catering kitchens, retail and food manufacturing, helping you adapt the approach to your own workplace. Practical examples illustrate how the same principles scale from a small kitchen to a large production environment.

This module outlines the legal duties food businesses have under UK and EU-derived food safety law, including the requirement to put in place procedures based on HACCP principles. You'll learn how compliance, due diligence and effective record keeping protect your business and reassure customers, regulators and environmental health officers.

The course concludes with a multiple-choice final assessment that checks your understanding of HACCP principles and how to apply them. Passing the assessment confirms you've grasped the key concepts and allows you to download your Level 2 HACCP certificate as evidence of your training.