Qualifying as a Food Safety Practitioner

To gain the certificate you will need to:

1. Undertake an academic course at one of our providers. This can include our accredited BSc and MSc environmental health degrees and apprenticeships as well as our accredited standalone courses.
2. Demonstrate the application of the knowledge you have gained on the course in a workplace setting. The process for doing this is the Competency Development Portfolio and Professional Discussion and more details of these are provided below.
3. Pass a practical exam in Food Identification. The food identification exam is included in the standalone HCFC accredited courses listed above. If you are seeking qualification through the BSc/MSc. Environmental Health degree route, please enquire with your course provider to see if they offer it. If they do not offer the exam, you will have to undertake it separately at a certified provider.

To gain this certificate you will need to:

1. Undertake an academic course at one of our accredited providers.
2. Pass a practical exam in Food Identification. Our accredited APC providers either offer the practical food ID exam in-house, or they work with external partners to offer it. If you are seeking qualification through the BSc./MSc. Environmental Health degree route, please enquire with your course provider to see if they offer it. If they do not offer the exam, you must undertake it separately at a certified provider.
3. Demonstrate the application of the knowledge you have gained on the course in a workplace setting. The process for doing this is the Competency Development Portfolio and Professional Discussion; more details are provided below.

The Competency Development Portfolio (CDP) is your opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills you have gained on your accredited course in practice in a workplace setting.

The CDP consists of:

• three case studies
• two investigation reports
• two short narratives

You should aim to complete your CDP in 6-18 months. You must be supported throughout by a workplace supervisor assigned by your employer.

Submitting your CDP

Once your CDP is complete, it must be reviewed and signed off by your employer before being submitted to CIEH. You can submit your completed CDP and apply for the Professional Discussion six months after enrolment. After you have applied, CIEH will provide instructions on how to upload your portfolio for review.

CIEH will assess your CDP to ensure it meets the required standard. Once it has been approved, your place at a Professional Discussion will be confirmed.

Please allow up to four weeks for your CDP to be reviewed.

The enrolment fee for the CDP in 2026 is £716. This includes the cost of the Professional Discussion and certification.

Please note that if you are required to resit the Professional Discussion, an additional fee of £69 will apply.

Further information:

• CDP Registration form
• CDP and Professional Discussion overview
• Guidance for completing the CDP
• Guidance for employers and supervisors
• Application to sit or re-sit Professional Discussion
• Examination Regulations 2026
• Reasonable adjustments and Extenuating Circumstances Policy
• Policy on ethical AI use

The Professional Discussion (PD) is a face-to-face oral assessment, usually conducted via video conference, about your Competency Development Portfolio and related issues.

At your Professional Discussion, you will be asked to give a 15-minute presentation based on your CDP. This presentation should be submitted to CIEH in advance once you have been given your Professional Discussion date. Normally you will need to provide your presentation no later than 2 weeks before the session date you wish to attend.

If you wish to attend a particular Professional Discussion session, please note the dates and the corresponding deadlines:

Successful candidates will be awarded the Higher Certificate in Food Control or Advanced Professional Certificate in Food Hygiene and Standards Control as appropriate. Holders of these certificates may be authorised by their employers to deliver official controls subject to a competency assessment. We will keep a Register of Practitioners who qualify via these routes.

NB: Candidates completing the Higher Certificate Logbook who wish to sit the Professional Interview for the Higher Certificate in Food Premises Inspection or Higher Certificate in Food Control should contact education@cieh.org.

Candidates who wish to register or submit the logbook for either the Higher Certificate in Food Control or Higher Certificate in Food Premises Inspection should contact us. This also applies for people who are pursuing the logbook route who wish to sit their professional interview.

Please be advised that this Professional Interview is for those who have undertaken and passed the CIEH Higher Certificate Logbook.

Candidates are required to be members of CIEH. Non-members can join CIEH here.

This assessment is not for those undertaking the CDP and Professional Discussion.