Virtual College Level 2 food hygiene review What you get for £19.20, and who it suits

Last updated 13 October 2026. Course details and price checked on Virtual College's own pages on 13 October 2026

Virtual College's Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering is an online course for staff in pubs, cafés, restaurants and other catering businesses. Here is what you get, what the badges on the page mean, and who it suits.

What's in the course

Virtual College says the course takes two to three hours, split into 12 modules:

1. The importance of food safety and hygiene
2. Understanding food law
3. Understanding HACCP
4. The importance of personal hygiene
5. The importance of design and premises layout
6. The importance of cleaning
7. The importance of pest control and waste management
8. Understanding allergens
9. Understanding food-borne illnesses
10. Understanding food safety hazards and contamination
11. Understanding bacterial growth and temperature control
12. Applying food safety

With 12 modules in two to three hours, each one is short, which suits staff who can only spare a few minutes between shifts. Progress is saved as they go. One module is on allergens, and our guide to allergen training for your team explains what else to cover in your own kitchen.

The course page doesn't say whether there is an audio voiceover or which devices it works on, so ask Virtual College if that matters for your team.

The test and resits

At the end is a test of 30 multiple choice questions, with a pass mark of 75%. Learners get three attempts at no extra cost. Virtual College says more attempts may be given by contacting its support team, but it doesn't say whether these cost anything.

For most people three tries is plenty. If you have a new starter who is nervous about tests, it is worth knowing the limit is there.

The certificate, and what it is and isn't

A digital certificate is ready to download as soon as the course is finished. A posted certificate costs £4 more and is sent out at the beginning of the next working week. The certificate has no expiry date, and Virtual College strongly recommends doing the training again every three years.

The course page shows two badges: CPD Certified and RoSPA Assured. These show that outside bodies have looked at the course. Virtual College says plainly that the course is not a formal RQF qualification, which means it isn't a regulated qualification.

The law doesn't ask for a particular course or certificate. It asks that staff are trained for the work they do, and that you can show it. So a course like this can be part of the training the law asks for, alongside showing people how things are done in your own kitchen. Our guide to whether a certificate is legally required has the detail.

Buying for a team

Discounts are taken off automatically at checkout:

• 10 or more courses: 10% off
• 25 or more: 20% off
• 50 or more: 30% off
• 100 or more: 40% off

The 20% step comes in at 25 courses, earlier than at some other providers, which helps a mid-sized team. The course page lists a question about handing courses out to your team but doesn't answer it, so ask Virtual College how this works before a big order. Our guide to buying training for a team covers what to check.

Cancelling and refunds

Virtual College's terms of sale say you can cancel and get a refund at any time before the course is started. Once someone has started it, or opened any of its materials, you can't cancel.

Two more things in the terms are worth knowing if you buy ahead:

• If a course isn't started within 12 months of ordering, Virtual College can cancel it, with no refund.
• Its consumer terms say the contract for a course bought on its own ends after 12 months.

So buy close to when people will start, and make sure they finish and download their certificates within the year.

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

A good fit if:

• keeping costs down matters, especially across a team of 25 or more
• staff learn best in short bursts
• a downloadable certificate is all you need

Look elsewhere if:

• a contract, tender or job advert asks for a regulated qualification
• you want unlimited free resits for a nervous test-taker
• you like to buy training well ahead of hiring
• you need a printed certificate included in the price

How it compares

Here it is next to the other four Level 2 courses we compare. Other providers' details were checked between 5 and 13 October 2026, and the full side by side table is on our Level 2 comparison.

Questions people often ask

Is Virtual College's Level 2 certificate recognised?

It carries CPD and RoSPA badges, but it is the provider's own certificate, not a regulated qualification. For most pubs, cafés and restaurants that is fine, because the law asks for suitable training, not a specific certificate.

How long does the certificate last?

It has no expiry date. Virtual College strongly recommends doing the training again every three years. Our refresher guide explains when sooner makes sense.

Can I move a course to another member of staff?

Only if Virtual College agrees. Its consumer terms say you can transfer your rights to someone else only with its written agreement, so ask before you buy for anyone who isn't definitely starting.

What happens if someone doesn't start the course?

You can cancel for a refund any time before it is started. If it still hasn't been started 12 months after you ordered, Virtual College can cancel it without a refund.

How we checked this

We haven't taken this course. Everything here comes from Virtual College's own course page and terms, checked on 13 October 2026, and the official guidance listed below. Prices and details can change, so check the course page before you buy.

Sources we used

1. Virtual College, Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering. Price, modules, length, test, attempts, certificate, badges, team discounts. Checked 13 October 2026.
2. Virtual College, terms and conditions of sale. Cancelling, refunds, the 12 month rule. Checked 13 October 2026.
3. Virtual College, consumer terms. Contract length, transferring a course. Checked 13 October 2026.
4. GOV.UK, Running a food business: staff training, illness and hygiene. No certificate required; staff must have the right skills and training for their role.
5. Our Level 2 comparison, for other providers' prices and details.