The certificates said they were trained

EHO Story 📩

There is something I have seen over the years inspecting kitchens that has always bothered me.

Being proudly handed food safety training certificates, only to then watch the people those certificates belong to make the kind of basic mistakes they absolutely should not be making.

Not unusual mistakes.

Basic ones.

The sort of things that make you look at the certificate, then look back at the kitchen, and wonder what exactly they were taught.

Mistakes like washing their hands at the wrong sink.

Drying their hands on their apron.

Spraying sanitiser and wiping it straight off as if the product just likes making an appearance.

Prepping raw food next to ready-to-eat food.

Or panicking and putting raw meat on the wrong shelf in the fridge, as though getting it out of sight matters more than putting it in the right place.

When you see that, it tells you something straight away.

The training has not worked.

It may have been rushed, too generic, incorrect, unclear, or delivered in a way that did nothing to help people understand why the basics matter. And if people are bored, switched off, or just trying to get through it, they can walk away with a certificate but not with real understanding, confidence, or motivation to work safely.

But even a decent course is only the beginning.

Because once someone completes training, they still need to be shown how food safety should actually work in your business.

What sink should be used for hand washing.

How cleaning and disinfection should be carried out properly.

How to prevent cross-contamination.

What to do if there’s a problem or something goes wrong.

That practical, business-specific follow-up matters.

Food Safety Tip ✅

If someone has completed food safety training, do not assume that means they will work safely.

Training only really matters when people can apply it in practice.

That is where competence shows up.

Not in a folder.

In the kitchen

The Serious Lesson 💡

Poor training creates false confidence.

And false confidence is dangerous.

Training should do more than help someone pass a course.

It should help them understand the why, feel engaged enough to care and then build upon that so they know exactly what is expected in your business.

That is how training starts to mean something.

Not when the certificate is printed.

When safe behaviour happens naturally.

This week’s action 🔍

See how well the training has stuck. Try asking:

• Can they show you how they wash their hands properly?
• Do they know the contact time for your sanitiser?
• Can they explain how to control cross-contamination in your kitchen?
• Do they know what to do when something goes wrong or unexpected happens?
• Are supervisors spotting issues and correcting them there and then?

If they struggle with any of these, you’ve found something to work on before your EHO visit 😊