RSPH Level 3 Supervising Food Safety and Hygiene (Catering) is an Ofqual-regulated qualification (number 603/2396/6) issued by the Royal Society for Public Health. It is the standard supervisor-level qualification expected of head chefs, sous chefs, kitchen managers, restaurant managers and catering supervisors in UK food service.

UK food safety law does not name a specific qualification, but Retained Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires those responsible for HACCP-based procedures to be trained to a level appropriate to their role. In practice, Environmental Health Officers, primary authorities and insurers expect the supervisor or person in day-to-day charge of food safety to hold an Ofqual-regulated Level 3 qualification — and a missing supervisor-level certificate is one of the issues that pulls down an FSA Food Hygiene Rating at inspection.

Kitchen Tonic delivers Level 3 in three formats: a three-day live webinar via Google Meet, an in-house session at your premises, or a scheduled public classroom course. All three formats run to 21 guided learning hours across three days and finish with the official RSPH-supplied 45-question multiple-choice exam under invigilation.

The official RSPH specification covers food safety law and supervisor responsibilities, HACCP principles and HACCP-based food safety management, microbiological, chemical, physical and allergenic hazards, temperature control, cleaning and disinfection, pest control, supervising staff training, internal monitoring and corrective action, due diligence records, and the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

Assessment is a 90-minute multiple-choice paper with 45 questions, supplied and marked against the RSPH standard. The qualification is graded Pass or Distinction — Pass is 30 out of 45, Distinction is 38 out of 45. The exam is sat at the end of the final training day under invigilation by Kitchen Tonic, and certificates are issued directly by RSPH on successful completion.

There are no formal prerequisites set by RSPH, but Level 3 is written for supervisors and assumes a working knowledge of day-to-day food hygiene. Candidates who have not held a Level 2 qualification, or who have been out of a food handling role for a while, are encouraged to flag that on the pre-course call so the trainer can recommend any pre-reading.

There is no statutory expiry date for food safety training in the UK, but the Food Standards Agency and most EHOs recommend supervisor-level refresher training every 3 years. Insurers and primary authorities will often ask to see in-date training when reviewing a site.

Level 3 (Supervising Food Safety) is for head chefs, kitchen managers and restaurant managers running food safety day to day. Level 4 (Managing Food Safety and Hygiene) is the senior-manager qualification for executive chefs, F&B directors, multi-site operations leads and EHO liaison roles — it goes further into HACCP plan design, food safety culture, due diligence, supplier assurance and managing a food safety management system across a business.