FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATION — ONE DAY, 8 HOURS
FOODSAFE LEVEL 1 CERTIFICATION
FoodSafe Level 1 is the food handler certification used across British Columbia. One full day of in-class training, exam included, and a certificate valid for 5 years.
FoodSafe Level 1 is a one-day food safety certification course that teaches food handlers how to prevent foodborne illness and maintain safe food practices in a commercial or institutional kitchen. The course covers every part of day-to-day food safety — personal hygiene, safe storage, temperature control, cooking and holding temperatures, cross-contamination prevention, and cleaning and sanitizing procedures. The final exam is written in class, and once you pass you receive a FoodSafe Level 1 certificate recognized by BC environmental health officers and by food service employers across the province. FoodSafe Level 1 is mandatory for many food service positions in British Columbia. It is a separate category of certification from workplace first aid — it has nothing to do with emergency response or WorkSafeBC first aid attendant requirements.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE
- Food handlers in restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals, schools, and care facilities
- Kitchen staff — cooks, prep workers, and dishwashers
- Anyone preparing, handling, storing, or serving food commercially
- Managers and supervisors in food service operations
- Caterers, bakery workers, and food production staff
- Workers in BC food service who have not yet completed FoodSafe training
Prerequisites: None. Anyone working in — or entering — the food service industry can take FoodSafe Level 1. Bring government-issued photo ID. No special clothing or equipment is required.
WHY CHOOSE METRO SAFETY/SAFETY CENTRAL
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
- FoodSafe Level 1 certificate — valid 5 years
- Final exam written and marked in class
- Digital records emailed for HR and health-inspection files
- Reference material covering temperatures, sanitizing, and safe handling
What FoodSafe Level 1 Covers
The day is built around the food safety practices a health inspector expects to see in a working kitchen: how pathogens grow and how to stop them, the temperature danger zone and correct thermometer use, safe receiving and storage with FIFO rotation, minimum internal cooking temperatures and hot-holding, separating raw from ready-to-eat food, proper handwashing and illness exclusion, the difference between cleaning and sanitizing with correct sanitizer concentrations, and recognizing and reporting pest activity.
Exam Requirements
The FoodSafe Level 1 final exam is included in the one-day course. It is multiple choice and covers all course content, and a passing score is required to receive the certificate. One retest is permitted within 30 days of the original exam if a participant does not pass on the first attempt. Anyone who does not pass the retest must retake the full course before attempting the exam again.
Certification and 5-Year Validity
FoodSafe Level 1 certificates are valid for 5 years — longer than most other Metro Safety certificates (WorkSafeBC BFA, IFA and AFA are 3 years, Red Cross courses are 3 years, and BLS/CPR-HCP is 1 year). To renew after 5 years, participants retake the full one-day course and pass the exam again.
Course Format, Schedule and What to Bring
FoodSafe Level 1 runs 8 hours as a single in-person classroom day, including breaks and the final exam, with the exam fee included in the course price. Public dates run through our Coquitlam, Surrey, and Burnaby classrooms on both weekdays and weekends; we also serve teams across Vancouver, Richmond, New Westminster, and the Lower Mainland with private on-site sessions. Bring government-issued photo ID — nothing else is required. Pick a date below to register online, or call us if you need a private group booking.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
UPCOMING DATES
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View upcoming dates and register for this course today.