Safe Food Handling Basics Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Why food safety matters and what the law requires

Food that looks, smells and tastes fine can still make people sick. Germs such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria cause foodborne illness. Health Canada says some people are at higher risk of serious illness:

Children under five
Adults over sixty
Pregnant women
People with a weakened immune system

Food safety rules for businesses are set by each province or territory, and health inspectors enforce them. Many provinces require certified food handlers. Some examples:

Province	Regel
Ontario	Since July 1, 2018, Ontario Regulation 493/17 requires at least one certified food handler or supervisor on site at all times while a food service premise operates.
Alberta	At least one person in charge of the food facility must be certified. When six or more food handlers, including serving staff, are working, a certified person must be at the facility. With five or fewer, that person may be off site.
Brits-Columbia	The operator must hold FOODSAFE or an equivalent. When the operator is away, an employee with the certificate must be present.
Manitoba (Winnipeg)	The person in charge must complete the Certified Food Handler program, with a certified person on duty when more than five food handlers work at one time.

These certificates come from approved courses, such as FOODSAFE in B.C., Alberta's approved food safety courses, food handler courses from Ontario public health units, or Manitoba's Certified Food Handler program. This course is background knowledge only. If your job needs a certificate, take an approved course.

Lesson 2: Clean hands and good hygiene

Hands carry germs into food more than anything else. Health Canada says to wash with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.

The steps of good handwashing.

Wet both hands under running water.
Add soap.
Rub and scrub every part of both hands for at least 20 seconds.
Rinse under running water.
Dry with a paper towel.
Use the paper towel to turn off the tap.

When to wash

Before you start work and before handling food
Before and after handling raw meat, poultry, fish or seafood
After using the washroom, touching your face or hair, or handling garbage
Any time your hands may have become dirty

B.C.'s Food Premises Regulation says employees must wash their hands as often as necessary to keep food from being contaminated.

Illness, cuts and smoking

Tell your supervisor if you are sick. B.C. law says a person suspected of having a disease spread through food must not handle food or food contact surfaces.
Public health guidance in Ontario says workers who are ill or have cuts, boils or scrapes on their hands should not handle food.
B.C. law says employees must not smoke in any area where food is prepared, dispensed or stored.

Lesson 3: Keeping raw and ready-to-eat food apart

Cross-contamination is when germs move from raw food, dirty hands or tools to food that will not be cooked again. It is one of the most common ways people get sick.

Use separate boards and knives for raw meat and for ready-to-eat food.

A board and knife used only for raw chicken.
A separate board and knife for salad and other ready-to-eat food.
Raw food, its juices and its tools must never touch ready-to-eat food.

Use one cutting board for produce and another for raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood.
Store raw meat in sealed containers on the bottom shelf of the fridge so juices cannot drip.
Keep cooked and ready-to-eat food above raw food.
Wash produce under running water, not by soaking it in a sink. Use a brush on firm skins.
Clean, then sanitize counters, boards and utensils. Use your workplace's approved sanitizer exactly as the label says.

Lesson 4: Safe temperatures

Bacteria grow quickly in the temperature danger zone, between 4°C and 60°C. Keep cold food cold and hot food hot.

Keep food out of the danger zone.

4°C and colder: where cold food is kept.
Between 4°C and 60°C: the danger zone.
60°C and hotter: where hot food is kept.
74°C: the temperature for reheated leftovers and poultry pieces.

What	Temperature
Refrigerator	4°C or lower
Freezer	-18°C or lower
Hot holding	60°C or higher
Ground beef, pork	71°C
Poultry pieces, ground poultry, egg dishes, leftovers	74°C
Whole chicken or turkey	82°C
Fish	70°C

Use a clean food thermometer. Push the probe into the thickest part, to the centre, without touching bone, and check each piece.

Thawing and leftovers

Thaw food in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave. Never thaw it at room temperature.
Throw away cooked food left at room temperature for more than two hours.
Cool leftovers fast in shallow, uncovered containers in the fridge.
Reheat leftovers to 74°C.

Lesson 5: Food allergens

A food allergy happens when the body's immune system reacts to a food. A severe reaction, called anaphylaxis, can kill. Health Canada lists these priority food allergens:

Eggs, milk, mustard and peanuts
Crustaceans and molluscs, and fish
Sesame seeds and soy
Sulphites and tree nuts
Wheat and triticale

Serving customers with allergies

Take every allergy question seriously. Never guess what is in a dish.
Check the recipe and labels, or ask the cook or your supervisor.
Use clean tools, boards and surfaces to keep allergens out of a dish.

If a reaction happens

Signs include swelling of the mouth or throat, trouble breathing, hives and feeling faint. Call 911 right away. If the person has an epinephrine auto-injector, such as an EpiPen, it should be used as its instructions direct. It is only a short-term treatment, so the person still needs hospital care even if they feel better.