About this course

This course is designed to assist food preparation staff in school environments and food technology students in senior years to gain knowledge about food allergens, and to develop best practice procedures to ensure safe food provision to students and staff with food allergy.

Who this course is for

This course is suitable for staff working in primary and secondary schools including:

• Canteen and tuckshop staff and volunteers
• Boarding school kitchen staff
• Food technology teaching staff
• Food technology students in senior years 
• Educators preparing food in rooms with students as a planned learning experience

This course should be completed by staff and volunteers who:

• Make decisions about suitable menu items such as menu planning, choosing recipes, choosing suppliers and placing orders.
• Prepare and serve food to students, including educators preparing food in rooms with students as a planned learning experience.
• Are likely to be asked about ingredients or allergens in foods.

Course units and learning outcomes

There are four units in this All about Allergens course. Learning outcomes are assessed with a short end of unit quizzes and a longer final assessment.

Unit 1: Food allergy and schools

• Understand food allergy and the consequences of serving the wrong food to a student or staff member with food allergy.
• Know the difference between a food allergy, a food intolerance and coeliac disease.
• Be able to list the common food allergens in Australia.
• Understand the responsibilities of students/staff members with food allergy and the staff providing their food.
• Recognise symptoms of an allergic reaction and the actions to take.
• Apply tools to check food allergen management practices in your school.

Unit 2: Communication and food allergies

• Know how to effectively communicate with students, parents, staff and volunteers about food allergy.
• Describe strategies that school food service staff can use to provide accurate information about the food allergen content of menu items.
• Describe strategies that school food service staff can use to make sure that the right meal or drink is served to the right student or staff member with food allergy.
• Understand how to report incidents related to food allergy.

Unit 3: Menus and food labels

• Demonstrate an understanding of simple strategies to use to know exactly what is in the food you serve.
• Understand food labelling laws in Australia for packaged and unpackaged foods.
• Demonstrate knowledge of reading food labels and identifying food allergens on a label.
• Be able to identify food allergens in products, recipes, packaged foods, ingredient lists, meal components, condiments and garnishes.
• Understand Precautionary Allergen Labelling statements and what these mean for students and staff members with food allergy.

Unit 4: Practical management of food allergens

• Know how to store and prepare foods suitable for students and staff members with food allergy.
• Recognise and manage areas of possible cross contamination in food service.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to implement simple strategies in the food business to minimise the risk of a student or staff member having an allergic reaction.
• Identify common mistakes made during food preparation that can make foods unsafe for students and staff members with food allergy.

Course length

This course takes approximately 1 to 1.5 hours to complete. 

Your progress is saved along the way, so you can stop and come back to the course at any time. It is recommended you complete the course within 2 weeks.

How often to undertake this course 

You should undertake this training at least every 2 years.

Latest version

All about Allergens for Schools (released 4 March 2023)

To start this course Register or enrol

Older versions

All about Allergens for Schools (released 7 June 2021 | superseded 4 March 2023)