Qualifications and careers: By country

Read the two tables separately. The first is what the law or the regulator requires. The second is what customers, schemes and employers often ask for on top, which is a commercial matter and not law. Rules differ by state and business type, and some are changing. Confirm with the regulator.

5 yearsAustralia: the Food Standards Code counts a food safety supervisor certificate only if issued in the last 5 years. No fixed refresher period is set for food handlers.Standard 3.2.2A s 2; FSANZ guidance

5, then 10Singapore: a food handler's first retraining is due within 5 years of passing Level 1, and later ones within 10 years of the last.SFA, Requirements for Food Handlers

1 Dec 2026Malaysia: the medical examination requirement ends, typhoid vaccination stays, and supervision training for mass catering begins.P.U. (A) 227/2026

Law	To handle food	To supervise	Certificate and renewal	Who may issue
Australia: all food businesses ()	Skills and knowledge that match the work. cl 3 names no course.	The same duty covers people supervising food handling.	None required by this clause.	Not applicable.
Australia: and two businesses, which handle unpackaged, , food (Standard 3.2.2A)	Before starting, either a food safety training course covering safe handling, contamination, cleaning and , and personal hygiene, or skills and knowledge that match the task.	Appoint a who is reasonably available and has authority to direct food handlers.	Supervisor issued in the last 5 years. No set refresher for handlers, though FSANZ calls refreshers best practice.	A registered training organisation, or an organisation recognised by the state or territory authority.
Australia: state differences	does not apply to fundraising events. In New South Wales it does not apply to licensed businesses. In Tasmania it applies to businesses under the risk classification system, with some exclusions.	New South Wales has its own regime: one supervisor per premises, with a less than 5 years old. Victoria requires one for class 1, most class 2 and class 3A premises. Queensland requires one for licensees within 30 days of the licence. The ACT requires one for registered businesses within 30 days of registration.	New South Wales carry a Food Authority number. Victoria's guidance says older course codes stay valid and sets no refresher of its own. Check how this sits with the 5-year rule.	New South Wales: an approved training organisation. Victoria: a registered training organisation, against a set competency standard. ACT: a statement of attainment for an approved course.
New Zealand (Food Act 2014, Food Regulations 2015)	The operator must ensure anyone doing a task that could affect food safety has the competency for it, and that staff and visitors understand what they must do. Reg 31 names no course.	The competency needed by the day-to-day manager, and by anyone responsible for a task in the plan, must be identified and recorded.	Reg 31 sets no or renewal period. The MPI template plan asks for training records and for training to be checked before starting and when procedures change. Some processes have added rules, and differ.	Reg 31 names no issuer. Formal courses are one way to build competency.
Singapore (Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations, and SFA licence conditions for non-retail)	Anyone handling or preparing food in an SFA-licensed establishment needs WSQ Food Safety Course Level 1 and registration by the licensee. SFA's list of food handlers leaves out roles such as cashiers and cleaners.	Certain establishments must appoint a : a supervisory person with Level 3, registered to one establishment only. Some, including those applying for a catering licence, need an Advanced Food Hygiene Officer with Level 4.	Level 1: retrain within 5 years, then within 10 years of the last retraining. Miss it and the person may not handle food until they pass again. Level 3 is one-time, with the same retraining if they keep handling food. Typhoid vaccination and TB screening are no longer required.	Training providers approved by SkillsFuture Singapore, which awards the Statement of Attainment.
Malaysia (Food Hygiene Regulations 2009)	Every food handler needs a of Food Handlers Training and vaccination by a registered medical practitioner before working. Until 30 Nov 2026 a medical examination is also required. MOH schemes specify anti-typhoid vaccination; the regulation does not name the vaccine.	From 1 Dec 2026 anyone who engages in or supervises mass catering needs a of Food Services Supervision Training. The Regulations do not define mass catering. MOH's voluntary catering guideline describes it by workforce and order size.	The regulation sets no expiry or renewal period for the training or the vaccination. The Minister may require additional training. Proprietors keep the records for inspection. From 1 Dec 2026, a low-acid canned food maker needs at least one handler with a further certificate.	An institution approved by the Director. For supervision training, an institution established or recognised by the Ministry of Health.

Singapore's Food Safety and Security Act 2025 will move this to registered food workers. Its section on untrained food workers had not commenced when last checked on 14 Oct 2026, so the rules above still applied. Check SFA for the commencement date.

Not law	What it looks like	Why it matters
Customer requirements	A buyer's contract or supplier code may ask for a named level of training, a course for key staff or an audit by someone with set qualifications.	Failing it can cost the contract, even when the law is met.
schemes	Food safety management standards and schemes expect competence to be defined, training to be given and its effect to be evaluated. A scheme can set course lengths for particular roles.	It binds only a business that holds, or seeks, that .
Voluntary government schemes	A government scheme can be voluntary and still ask for training. Malaysia's Trust MyCatering expects valid handler and supervisor of those who join. Singapore's grading framework links the top grade route for some establishments to an .	Check whether the scheme is a legal duty or a choice for your business type.
Employer policy	A business may set shorter refreshers, or send everyone on a course where the law would accept on-the-job training.	It should be written as company policy, so nobody mistakes it for a legal . Once written, auditors may hold the business to it.

Does a certificate from one country or state count in another?Do not assume so. New South Wales, for example, wants its own form of with a Food Authority number. Ask the regulator where the person will work.

Is a certificate enough?No. A supervisor also needs real authority and must be available, and a handler must actually do the job correctly. A shows training happened. It does not show that the training worked.

Does training have to be a paid course?It depends on the country. Singapore and Malaysia require a from an approved source. New Zealand's Reg 31 is written around competency. Australia allows skills and knowledge as an alternative for handlers, but not for a .