Introductory Food Hygiene in the Seafood Industry | Seafish

Introductory Food Hygiene in the Seafood Industry

This short course offers an introduction to food hygiene. It covers bacteria and fish, contamination of fish, personal hygiene and cleaning.



For a business to operate with confidence and to meet legislative requirements, it's important to have well trained staff. The Introductory Food Hygiene in the Seafood Industry course will provide learners with the key aspects of food hygiene and how they influence them. A food hygiene qualification is important to you, your manager and your business. This is the shortest food hygiene course we deliver. The course is accredited by the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS).

Processing fish fillets on a production line
Fish fillets in a processing factory

Key Features

  • Suitable for people working in seafood production, fishmongering or customer service.
  • A taught course by an approved training provider.
  • Currently being delivered remotely via Zoom.
  • A three and a half hour course followed by a 30 minute invigilated exam (also delivered by Zoom).
  • Learners who pass the exam will receive a joint qualification from REHIS and Seafish.
  • The qualification will satisfy legal requirements for food handler training in low risk food businesses. 
  • There are no pre-course requirements.
  • Available face to face and online in multiple languages.

Information about the course

  • This taught course will help the learner understand the importance of protecting fish from contamination, preventing bacteria multiplying and the significance of destroying bacteria.
  • The learning materials and exam are available in English, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Welsh.
  • The online exam consists of 20 multiple-choice questions. It is supervised by a Seafish approved invigilator using Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
  • Some larger seafood businesses are approved to deliver this course using an in-house trainer.

Course content

The course is split into five parts: 

  • Part one introduces the learner to the importance of hygiene including the protect, prevent and destroy approach.
  • Part two analyses the importance of time and temperature for bacteria.
  • Part three looks at contamination of fish including different types of hazards.
  • Part four explains why personal hygiene is vital and how food handlers can contaminate fish.
  • Part five reviews the impact of thorough and effective cleaning. It highlights the differences between detergents, disinfectants and sterilisers.

Course and exam fee

It costs £100 per person for both the course and the invigilated exam. 50% funding is currently available to qualifying seafood businesses for remotely delivered online courses. 

How to book

To book a place on the course, please email our Onshore Training team, by following the link below.

Qualification awarded by REHIS and Seafish

On successful completion of the exam, students are awarded a qualification by REHIS and Seafish. 

Further information

For further information about the course, please email onshore@seafish.co.uk or contact one of our onshore approved training providers. 

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