11 Mar 2008 - Basic Food Hygiene

Scouts, school children and a youth cafe are just some of the people and places to benefit from a course in basic food hygiene organised by the CVSs in Three Rivers and Watford.

Twenty participants attended the course at Greenfields School in South Oxhey and were able to sit an exam for a CIEH Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering (Basic Food Hygiene).

The course was aimed at anyone who works with food and covered the things needed to make sure that the food they prepare, serve or sell is safe to eat including:

* introduction to food safety
* the law
* food safety hazards
* taking temperatures
* refrigeration, chilling and cold holding of foods
* cooking, hot holding and re-heating of foods
* food handlers
* principles of safe food storage
* cleaning
* food premises and equipment

All those attending rated the course content as either good or excellent and many commented on how it would help them improve working practices and techniques.

"We were very pleased to offer such a course to our members and members of Watford CVS. Skills such as these are invaluable and we were able to offer the course at a very affordable rate bringing it in reach of many voluntary groups," said Mary Green of the CVS in Three Rivers.