Food safety training for café staff in Ireland: what the FSAI requires

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) says: "Food handlers must be supervised, and also instructed and/or trained in food hygiene based on the level of activity they are involved in." The FSAI Learning Portal page adds that owners and managers are legally responsible for making sure staff get appropriate and effective training, tailored to their roles. The FSAI also says: "You do not necessarily have to attend a food safety training course." Its Guide to Food Safety Skills sets out three levels: basic skills within the first month, additional skills within 3 to 12 months, and skills for managers and supervisors. The FSAI says there is no frequency for training set out in legislation.

What food safety training do café staff need in Ireland?

They need to be supervised and to be instructed and/or trained in food hygiene, matched to what they do. That is the FSAI's wording on its Training page: "Food handlers must be supervised, and also instructed and/or trained in food hygiene based on the level of activity they are involved in."

The FSAI Learning Portal page puts the duty on the owner: "Food business owners and managers are legally responsible for ensuring their staff receive appropriate and effective food safety training, tailored to their roles within the business." In our reading, that means a person on the till who also pours milk and a person who runs the kitchen do not need identical training. The FSAI says the Guide to Food Safety Skills covers "full-time, part-time, seasonal, occasional or voluntary employees", including anyone who covers for a colleague.

Do I have to send staff on a course?

Not necessarily. The FSAI says: "You do not necessarily have to attend a food safety training course. Below are a number of ways you can fulfil your legal requirements for training."

The ways it lists are to develop your own training course using its Guide to Food Safety Skills, to choose a food safety trainer, or to use online learning with the FSAI. For the last option it says "it is vital that there is management support and follow-up". It also says the FSAI "does not however provide training courses in food hygiene or HACCP". When an enforcement officer such as an environmental health officer assesses training, the FSAI says they "will not necessarily want to see a certificate from a particular training course; rather, they will observe the hygiene practices and verify the food safety knowledge of staff." They "may ask to see food safety records or ask about the food safety training that has been provided."

For where training sits in the wider set-up of a café, see our article on the licence to sell coffee in Ireland, which has a training section.

What are the FSAI's Level 1, 2 and 3 skills?

They are three stages of food safety skills in the FSAI's Guide to Food Safety Skills. The FSAI's Training page describes them like this:

• "Level 1 provides information on basic food safety skills that staff should be able to demonstrate within the first month of employment."
• "Level 2 provides information on the additional food safety skills that staff should be able to demonstrate within 3-12 months of commencing employment in your food business."
• "Level 3 provides information on the food safety skills that should be demonstrated by managers and supervisors in food operations."

The FSAI says the guide lets you "develop your own training course for your staff or refresh your own food safety skills", and that "A free copy of this guide can be downloaded from our publications section." Its publications page for the guide shows a "Download Free PDF" button. The same page says individual copies of the Competency Checklists (Level 1, Stages 1 and 2, Level 2 and Level 3) and the Employee Training Record can be downloaded.

The FSAI also says that, depending on the food operation, "not all of the food safety skills outlined in this guide will be relevant", and that the guide's content depends on level of responsibility, whether the work is in a high-risk or low-risk area, and how long someone has worked in your business.

What is "Food Safety & You"?

It is an FSAI induction programme: "a 4-hour induction training programme, for employees in all sectors of the food industry". The FSAI says it is "designed to be delivered by supervisors/managers/trainers to staff within their own food business" and is based on Level 1 of the Guide to Food Safety Skills.

The FSAI trains the people who deliver it. A business nominates a manager, trainer or supervisor to attend a 2-day Food Safety Training Skills Workshop, and those who complete the assessment become approved trainers for the programme. The FSAI says the workshop "costs €450 per participant". That is the fee for the person who will deliver the training, not a fee per member of staff. The FSAI says participants "must have experience in the food industry and/or qualifications in food safety". The materials include a trainer's guide, a trainee workbook of 8 modules that each trainee keeps, a video, three training posters and food safety signs. To ask about it, the FSAI gives foodsafetytraining@fsai.ie.

Who needs HACCP training?

Whoever is responsible for the business's HACCP system. The FSAI says: "If you are responsible for your business's HACCP system, then you must undertake adequate training in the application of HACCP principles."

My reading is that this is a duty on the person who runs the system, usually the owner or manager, rather than on every member of staff. The FSAI page does not say more than that. For the registration side of opening a café, see our article on registering a food business in Ireland.

How often must food safety training be refreshed?

The law sets no frequency. The FSAI says: "There is no frequency set out in legislation for training. FSAI advises that food businesses regularly review their staff training needs and keep up to date with food safety developments."

What it asks is that you review training needs regularly. The FSAI also says that you, as operator, "should ensure that you are kept informed and up to date with changes in food safety requirements."

Where can staff learn online?

On the FSAI Learning Portal. The FSAI says you can "Access all our eLearning modules as well as other training materials and resources on the FSAI Learning Portal", and the portal describes a range of courses, resources and materials, flexible enough to fit "your schedule, team discussions and meetings".

The portal also says its resources "do not cover every food safety training requirement that may apply to your business and should be used to supplement a wider food safety training programme tailored to your specific operations and staff roles." Staff log in with an account created on the portal. The pages I read do not say what the portal costs, so check that on the portal itself.

How do I choose a food safety trainer?

The FSAI has a checklist. Its points, in short:

• Appropriate food safety qualifications: a background in food safety, relevant experience in the food industry, and knowledge of how adults learn and of training skills.
• Follow-up support after the training.
• Whether management participation is encouraged. The FSAI says "Management involvement is crucial to the success of the training."
• What previous clients say about them.
• Whether they want to identify your specific needs.
• Whether they will show you some of their training aids or previous work, so you can tell if the training is generic or tailored.

The FSAI advises contacting several providers, "as there is no 'one fits all' training course". It says the success of the service "is dependent on the input of the training provider and the food business".

The three levels at a glance

Level	When, according to the FSAI	What it covers
Level 1	Within the first month of employment	Basic food safety skills
Level 2	Within 3 to 12 months of starting	Additional food safety skills
Level 3	Managers and supervisors	Food safety skills for management

Sources

• Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Training - First Steps, read 14 October 2026.
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Food Safety and You, read 14 October 2026.
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Choosing a Food Safety Trainer, read 14 October 2026.
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI Guide to Food Safety Skills, read 14 October 2026.
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI Learning Portal, read 14 October 2026.

This is a summary of FSAI guidance read 14 October 2026, not legal advice. Your environmental health officer has the final word. Cupán Studio builds websites for cafés in Ireland.