The Coronavirus pandemic has been catastrophic for many food businesses - but being ready for recovery and strategically planning the next steps when it comes to training can put businesses ahead of the competition.

The hospitality industry is the third biggest employment sector in the UK. It creates jobs, contributes to economic prosperity and feeds consumer appetite for the ‘experience economy’ - where people seek memorable occasions over possessions and material objects. This need to have valued experiences is a key driver for the hospitality industry, and what makes it an exciting and thriving environment to work in. Pre-Coronavirus, the sector had achieved 3.9% year-on-year growth, according to the UK Hospitality tracker. However, COVID-19 has hit the hospitality industry hard, and even after the success of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August, there are further challenges ahead to get the sector back on track. For many, the lockdown period highlighted the importance of human interaction, meeting up for a coffee, celebrating birthdays out with loved ones or simply getting together with friends. The hospitality industry has quickly put measures in place to restore consumer confidence and keep customers safe so they can get closer to a return to normality.

Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. We do not just eat to survive - food is often at the centre of our routines, celebrations, comforts, connections and our health. This is why it’s paramount that food is kept safe at all times and handled with the greatest care from farm to fork. Any business that sells, cooks, stores, handles, prepares, transports or distributes food must comply with food safety legislation to ensure that food never causes harm to consumers. Legal compliance is also necessary for creating a thriving business and for preventing fines, imprisonment or bans from running a food business. Understanding these requirements could be the make or break of a food business. Getting this right now will only strengthen the foundations for greater future success. The Coronavirus pandemic should not cause food businesses to lose sight of the key food safety measures and hygiene practices that must be woven into the fabric of their occupation and daily conduct.

iHASCO, a market leading provider of eLearning, offers a comprehensive training package to cover all food safety training requirements. This exciting development means that food handlers and managers can complete their required training with iHASCO and take advantage of the high quality video-based content to enhance their learning experience, whether they require level 1, 2 or 3 Food Safety & Hygiene training. With the pandemic creating a greater demand for refresher training for those who have been on furlough, or providing more in depth knowledge for those covering supervisor sick leave, the iHASCO food safety training courses cater to those who need their training now, and those who need it to be both cost and time effective.

“With the successful launch of our Food Safety & Hygiene Level 3 online course, we are proud to now offer comprehensive training for those working at every level within a food business, including food supervisors, managers and business owners”

“This Level 3 course can be completed in 3 hours, which is at least 3 hours less than any other training provider can offer! But I assure you that it includes all the information and guidance that’s required for management to successfully work towards food safety compliance. Our course is engaging, concise, memorable, and delivered with simplicity as it’s heart - making the guidance easy to put into practise.”

Further important training for those working with food includes:

• COSHH

• Personal Protective Equipment

• Infection Prevention and Control

• HACCP

• Food Allergy Awareness

iHASCO are encouraging interested companies to sign up to a free trial, giving them full access to the range of online courses for a limited time.