Caterer courses in South Africa
Runs off-site catering, functions and buffets.
- SAATCA-registered TC 065
- FoodBev SETA-accredited 587/00337/1900
- QR-verified certificates
- No VAT added
Which courses does a caterer need in South Africa?
A caterer in South Africa needs 4 online courses, in this order: Food Safety Practices for Persons in Charge of Food Premises, Food Safety for Caterers and Events, Basic Food Safety Practices for Food Handlers and Allergen Management for Food Service, Retail and Catering. It takes about 32 hours of self-paced study. ASC is SAATCA registered (TC 065) and FoodBev SETA accredited (587/00337/1900).
In what order should caterers take these courses, and why?
Whoever runs a catering business holds the Certificate of Acceptability, so Persons in Charge comes first. Food Safety for Caterers and Events covers what makes catering different: hot and cold holding away from the kitchen, transport, buffets and the four-hour rule. Staff then take Food Handlers. Allergen Management for Food Service, Retail and Catering closes the path, because at a function you seldom know every guest's allergy until the plate is in front of them.
How long does the caterer path take, and what does it cost?
The 4 core courses take about 32 hours of self-paced study and cost R4 498 bought one by one. At 5 hours a week that is about 7 weeks, on a phone or a laptop.
That is about R1 125 a course. Set it against what it protects: a failed inspection or a closed premises costs a business far more than any course on this page.
Hours and prices are read from each course page. Last checked 11 October 2026.
What you get on this path
- A certificate per course, the day you passEach carries a QR code that an inspector, auditor or employer scans to verify it.
- Marked the moment you submitEvery assessment has a 70% pass mark and three attempts, with feedback that names the lesson to go back to.
- Access does not expire, so there is no deadline to finish.Start today on a phone or a laptop, stop and resume whenever you like.
- Pay online or by invoiceNo VAT is added. Teams get per-learner pricing and a manager dashboard that tracks every certificate.
Questions caterers ask before they enrol
Does a mobile or off-site caterer need a Certificate of Acceptability?
Yes. A catering business works from premises that handle food, and under R638 those premises need a Certificate of Acceptability from the municipality, which issues it after an environmental health practitioner inspects. ASC does not issue the CoA. The person who runs the business is the person in charge and takes Food Safety Practices for Persons in Charge of Food Premises, 16 hours and R1 699, under regulation 10(1)(a).
What does Food Safety for Caterers and Events cover that Food Handlers does not?
It covers the parts of catering a fixed kitchen never faces: keeping food hot or cold out of the kitchen, moving it, running a buffet and timing it. Basic Food Safety Practices for Food Handlers covers the hygiene, contamination, temperature and stock basics every food handler needs under R638 regulation 10(1)(b). A caterer takes both: Food Safety for Caterers and Events is 4 hours for R450, Food Handlers is 6 hours for R899.
Why is Allergen Management last in the caterer path?
Because it is the control you cannot fix on the day. Guests' allergies arrive with the plates, so the allergen controls have to be in place before the event, in the menu, in the kitchen and in what the waiter says. Allergen Management for Food Service, Retail and Catering, 6 hours and R1 450, is the course for the person who sets those controls up.