Key takeaways
- Every food handler in an SFA-licensed outlet must pass the WSQ Food Safety Course (FSC) Level 1. This is the course most people still call the “food hygiene course”.
- The first refresher is due within 5 years of passing Level 1. After that, a refresher is due every 10 years. Staff whose certificate has lapsed must stop handling food until they pass again.
- Only SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) approved providers can run the course. SFA publishes the list, which shows the languages each provider teaches in.
- Licensees must register their food handlers with SFA through GoBusiness. Keep a certificate tracker so a refresher date never slips past unnoticed.
Last checked against SFA and SkillsFuture pages: September 2026. SFA updates these rules from time to time, so confirm the current position on SFA’s site before you book courses.
What the food hygiene course is called now
The old Basic Food Hygiene Course has been replaced by the WSQ Food Safety Course (FSC) Level 1. SFA says the Basic Food Hygiene Course (also called “Follow Food & Beverage Safety and Hygiene Policies and Procedures”) is still recognised. Staff who passed it do not have to start from scratch. They still have to keep up with refreshers.
SFA’s WSQ FSC Level 1 page says SFA and SSG have harmonised the curriculum and assessment for retail and non-retail food businesses. A hawker assistant and a factory line worker now sit the same course. Higher levels (FSC Level 2 and above) go deeper into food safety checks and supervision. For front-line F&B staff, Level 1 is the requirement.
So if you are looking for a food safety course in Singapore, a hygiene course or a food handling course for staff in an SFA-licensed outlet, this is the one you need. The certificate staff receive when they pass is what most people mean by a food handling certificate. Keep a copy on file for every food handler.
Who must attend the Food Safety Course Level 1
According to SFA’s Requirements for Food Handlers page, a food handler is anyone who handles and prepares food and beverages in an SFA-licensed food establishment. SFA gives these examples:
- chefs, sous chefs and cooks
- kitchen assistants and food stall assistants
- bartenders and mixologists
- workers in food manufacturing companies
SFA also lists roles that are not food handlers, as long as they do not prepare food: restaurant and operations managers, service staff such as captains and waiters, cashiers, cleaners and dishwashers, logistics and maintenance staff, and sommeliers who only recommend wine.
The catch is in the next line. SFA says licensees must not let anyone untrained, such as a cashier, help with food preparation. In a small café, the cashier who pulls a shot during a rush is handling food. In a hawker stall, the family member who helps plate at lunch is too. If someone might step into the kitchen or behind the bar, even occasionally, send them for the course. SFA’s own guidance says to include staff who handle food “occasionally or infrequently”.
Anyone can enrol on their own. SFA says there is no need to be sponsored by an employer, so a new hire can arrive already certified.
The refresher rule: 5 years, then every 10 years
Level 1 is not a one-off certificate. SFA’s rule is:
| Retraining | When it must be passed |
|---|---|
| 1st retraining | Within 5 years of first passing WSQ FSC Level 1 |
| 2nd and later retrainings | Within 10 years of passing the previous retraining |
SFA’s worked example: a food handler who passed Level 1 on 1 August 2025 must pass the first retraining by 31 July 2030. After that, the clock runs for 10 years from each retraining.
If the deadline passes, SFA says the person is not allowed to handle or prepare food until they attend and pass one of the training options. Once they do, their next retraining is due within 10 years. In practice, a lapsed certificate means taking a cook off the line until they have passed. That is why tracking matters more than the course itself (see below).
SFA also recognises the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Refresher Food Hygiene Course certificate issued between October 2010 and June 2014. Holders must retrain 10 years from the date the ITE certificate was awarded. Anyone holding one of those is likely due already.
Training options and how long they take
SFA lists four ways to meet the requirement. All end with an assessment, and a pass earns a Statement of Attainment (SOA) from SSG.
| Option | Duration | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| WSQ FSC Level 1 | 6 hours of training + 1.5-hour assessment | New food handlers |
| WSQ FSC Level 1 (Refresher) | 3 hours of training + 1.5-hour assessment | Staff due for retraining |
| WSQ FSC Level 1 (Assessment Only Pathway) | 1.5-hour assessment, no training | Experienced staff confident of passing |
| WSQ FSC Level 2 | 6 hours of training + 1.5-hour assessment | Supervisors and senior cooks |
The Assessment Only Pathway saves rostering time, but only use it for staff who have worked in food service for a while. A failed assessment means booking again, and the person may be off food duties in the meantime if their certificate has lapsed. For a new cook, the full course is the safer choice. Level 2 is also an accepted training option, so a supervisor due for a refresher can upskill and retrain at the same time.
How to find an approved provider
SFA says food handlers must be trained and certified only by SSG-approved providers. The official list is SFA’s WSQ FSC Level 1 training providers PDF, last updated 30 June 2026. For each provider it shows:
- training locations and contact number
- whether the full course, refresher and Assessment Only Pathway run in English and in Chinese
- whether the provider has trainers who speak Malay or Tamil
- whether it runs synchronous e-learning (live online classes)
Language matters. Many kitchen teams include older workers and staff whose first language is not English. Book them into a class they can follow, because they must pass the assessment. Live e-learning can save travel time, but check that the staff member has a quiet space and a working device on the day.
Book through the provider’s own site or the SkillsFuture course directory. Be wary of anyone selling “certificates” without a class or assessment. A certificate that does not appear in SSG’s records will not be accepted by SFA.
What the course costs and how funding works
SFA does not publish a price. It says to contact the SSG-approved providers. Fees vary by provider, course type and funding eligibility.
As one example, the SkillsFuture for Business directory listing for a Food Safety Course Level 1 (Refresher) run by Aestheticar shows a full course fee of S$80.00, “from” S$24.00 after course subsidies and “from” S$2.40 after SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC). All of these are before GST. Treat that as one provider’s refresher price, not a market rate.
The same directory page sets out the subsidy levels for employer-sponsored staff on SSG-funded courses:
- SMEs: up to 90% for Singaporean and PR employees, and up to 70% for Long Term Visitor Pass Plus (LTVP+) holders.
- Non-SMEs: up to 90% for Singaporeans aged 40 and above under the Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy, up to 70% for Singaporeans under 40, and up to 70% for PR and LTVP+ employees.
- SFEC: a S$10,000 credit for eligible enterprises, which can cover much of the remaining out-of-pocket fee. Courses in the directory also qualify for Absentee Payroll funding.
Subsidies apply to Singaporeans, PRs and LTVP+ holders. For Work Permit and S Pass staff, ask the provider for the unsubsidised fee and whether any other support applies. Budget for their course fee in full until the provider confirms otherwise.
Registering food handlers with SFA
Passing the course is half the job. SFA says licensees must register their food handlers with SFA, before or when applying for the licence. The steps on SFA’s page are:
- Train everyone who touches food. Identify all staff involved in food preparation, including occasional helpers, and enrol them.
- Log in. Licensees use GoBusiness with Singpass (licence in your name) or Corppass (licence in a company’s name). Food handlers use their own Singpass on the Food Handlers Digital DataHub (FHD2H).
- Update the licence. In GoBusiness, find the licence, choose “Amend” and update the food handler details.
- Staff update their photos. SSG shares course results with SFA within 2 weeks. Food handlers then log in to FHD2H and update their photos as required.
SFA has also dropped the old requirement for mandatory typhoid vaccination and tuberculosis screening for food handlers.
If you are opening a new outlet, fold this into your licence application. Our SFA food shop licence guide covers the full application. Our SFA hygiene inspection guide covers what officers look for once you are open.
How owners should track certificates
Most problems come from dates slipping, not from staff failing the course. A simple tracker prevents that. For each food handler, record:
- full name as on NRIC or work pass, and role
- date Level 1 was first passed, and the provider
- date of the most recent refresher (if any)
- next retraining deadline: 5 years after Level 1 for the first, then 10 years after each refresher
- whether they are registered with SFA via GoBusiness or FHD2H
- a scan of the Statement of Attainment
Sort by next deadline and review it monthly. Book refreshers at least three months ahead, because popular language classes fill up. Add the check to onboarding too: no one goes on the kitchen roster until their certificate is on file, or they are booked on a course and kept out of food preparation until they pass. Our restaurant staff training checklist has a first-week plan you can attach this to. If you are hiring, our guide to hiring F&B staff in Singapore covers work passes and onboarding.
Your POS can help at the edges. In ChaChaCha, powered by AppsPOS, staff permissions control who can access which functions, so a cashier’s login can stay on front-of-house tasks. Kitchen tickets and the kitchen display system (KDS) can be shown in English or 中文, which helps kitchen teams who study in Chinese. If you would like certificate dates held alongside staff records, ask us to confirm what the back office can store; a spreadsheet works well in the meantime. See our kitchen display system page for station routing and prep timers.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the “occasional” helper. Cashiers, runners or family members who plate or pour during a rush need the course too.
- Assuming the old three-year cycle. The current rule is 5 years for the first retraining, then 10. Check older certificates against SFA’s table rather than memory.
- Letting a lapsed cook keep cooking. SFA is clear that lapsed handlers may not handle food. Swap them to non-food duties until they pass.
- Using an unapproved provider. Only SSG-approved providers count. Check the SFA list before paying.
- Skipping the registration step. A pass without SFA registration still leaves a gap on your licence records.
