Accredited food safety training in East London, Eastern Cape.
Food safety training in East London: accredited R638 and HACCP courses, online, with a certificate the Buffalo City Metropolitan inspector can verify.
For restaurants, manufacturers, caterers, spaza shops and franchise groups in East London and Mdantsane, Qonce (King William’s Town), Bhisho, Gonubie, Beacon Bay, Vincent, Nahoon, Amalinda, Cambridge, Duncan Village and Zwelitsha. Persons in Charge and Food Handlers courses for the Certificate of Acceptability from R420, HACCP and GMP for the technical team, and on-site training through the ASC Gqeberha branch. SAATCA registered, FoodBev SETA accredited, certificate the day you pass.
4.9 average from 672 course reviews · 3 600+ course enrolments across South Africa · used by franchise groups including KFC and Spur
Which course do I need in East London?
Pick your situation. Each one goes straight to the right course and price.
A Certificate of Acceptability for my premisesPersons in Charge · R1 699 · 8h A food handler certificate for workFood Handlers · R899 · 6h A spaza shop, tuck shop or market stallInformal Traders and Spaza Shops · R999 · 6h HACCP or GMP training for my teamThree HACCP levels from R1 195 · group pricing FSSC 22000, ISO 22000 or BRCGS certificationIntroduction, transition and implementation On-site or group training in East LondonBulk enrolment, one invoice, manager dashboardCertificate of Acceptability in East London
Who issues it, what the inspector checks, and the training you must show.
Read the full Certificate of Acceptability guide and the city by city R638 guide.
In East London the Certificate of Acceptability is issued by the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, through its Municipal Health Services, in the Health, Public Safety and Emergency Services directorate. An environmental health practitioner inspects the premises and recommends the certificate in the name of the person in charge, as Regulation 3 of R638 requires. Official page: Buffalo City: health and safety services.
Whoever issues it, the inspection follows the same regulation. R638 requires the person in charge to be trained (regulation 10(1)(d)) and to keep a record that every food handler has been trained, and the inspector can ask for those records at any visit. Certificates from ASC show the accreditation details and a QR code, so the record is verifiable on the spot.
East London’s Industrial Development Zone runs a dedicated agro-processing and aquaculture cluster next to the port, and the city serves as the food supply hub for Bhisho, Qonce and the surrounding Amathole towns. Industrial and food-manufacturing areas we train in include Wilsonia, Gately, Arcadia, Woodbrook, Chiselhurst, Berlin and the East London Industrial Development Zone.
- Persons in Charge for the owner or manager named on the certificate
- Food Handlers for every person who touches food, drink or packaging
- Records: training register, illness reports, cleaning, temperature and pest control (regulation 10)
- Documents: the R638 toolkit gives you the policies, forms and registers, 15% off with a course
Where to apply in East London
Where and how to apply for a Certificate of Acceptability in East London.
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Municipal Health Services (Directorate of Health, Public Safety and Emergency Services). Contact details below were checked against the municipality’s own website on 6 September 2026; phone before you travel, because offices, hours and numbers change.
Offices and contacts
| Office | Phone |
|---|---|
| Environmental Health, East London | 043 705 2901 and 043 705 2907 |
| Environmental Health, Qonce (King William’s Town) | 043 705 8567 |
Customer care 043 722 0660, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:30.
Official pages and forms
How to apply
- Phone the environmental health office for East London or Qonce and request the application form.
- Submit the form with the documents; an environmental health practitioner inspects the premises.
- The certificate is issued in the name of the person in charge and must be displayed.
- Keep the business licence current: Buffalo City operations in 2024 and 2025 closed shops for trading without a licence or a Certificate of Acceptability.
Documents to prepare
- Identity document of the person in charge and company registration where applicable
- Proof of the premises address and owner or landlord consent
- A layout plan of the premises
- Business licence documents where meals are prepared or the business is a spaza shop
Fee and turnaround
Not published on the municipal website at the time of checking; confirm with the environmental health office. Not published.
What the inspector checks
Health and hygiene compliance, environmental standards and licence conditions, with expired stock confiscated during the 2024 and 2025 operations.
Between February and April 2024 Buffalo City inspected 131 spaza shops, closed 121 and confiscated more than R90 000 of food (municipal report).
Courses East London businesses buy most
Six courses cover almost every food premises in East London.
- Food Safety Practices for Persons in Charge of Food Premises ★ 4.77 (101) R1 699 Enrol
- Basic Food Safety Practices for Food Handlers ★ 4.76 (58) R899 Enrol
- Basic Food Hygiene Awareness for Food Handlers ★ 4.86 (21) R420 Enrol
-
Food Safety Practices for Informal Traders and Spaza Shops
★ 4.88 (8)
R1 195R999 Enrol - Implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices ★ 5.00 (3) R1 950 Enrol
- Introduction to HACCP ★ 4.90 (10) R1 195 Enrol
- Basic Food Safety Document Templates Toolkit Templates Documents R699 View toolkit
Prices are the price you pay; no VAT is charged. The Basic Food Safety Bundle covers Persons in Charge, Food Handlers and Hygiene Awareness together at R2 360. HACCP for Supervisors and Advanced HACCP, FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, BRCGS and GLOBALG.A.P. are on the Enrol page.
Who trains with ASC in East London
Written for the food businesses that operate in East London.
Food processors and aquaculture operators in the IDZ, Wilsonia and Gately train to GMP, HACCP and FSSC 22000 for their customers’ audits, with the R638 basics for every handler.
Nahoon, Gonubie, Beacon Bay, Vincent and the Esplanade carry the city’s restaurant and hotel kitchens. Persons in Charge for managers, Food Handlers for the crew.
Mdantsane, Duncan Village, Zwelitsha and Qonce traders need the Certificate of Acceptability for their premises. The Informal Traders and Spaza Shops course fits that application.
Provincial government offices in Bhisho, school feeding kitchens and hospital catering across Buffalo City are inspected as food premises under R638.
On-site and in-house training
Train a East London kitchen, plant or franchise group on one dashboard.
The ASC head office in Gqeberha is three hours down the N2, and on-site sessions in East London and Qonce are scheduled from there.
- Send the learner countWhatsApp or the contact form. Quote within one working day, one invoice, no VAT.
- Learners train online or on sitePhone, tablet or laptop, in a day for the R638 courses. On-site sessions through the Gqeberha branch.
- Manager dashboardSee who has finished, download certificates, and hand the inspector a training record for every site.
Add the documents. The Basic Food Safety Document Templates Toolkit (R699, 40+ editable Word and Excel policies, procedures, forms and checklists aligned to R638) is 15% off when you buy it with any R638 course. Tell us on WhatsApp +27 61 483 0381 or the contact form which course you are enrolling in, and we invoice both with the discount applied.
Questions from East London
What East London food businesses ask before they enrol.
Anything else, message us on WhatsApp during office hours or use the support page.
Who issues the Certificate of Acceptability in East London?
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Under Regulation R638 an environmental health practitioner from the municipality inspects the food premises and the certificate is issued in the name of the person in charge. Apply before you start trading, and again when the person in charge or the nature of the business changes.
Does the inspector in East London accept an online food safety certificate?
R638 does not prescribe classroom or online training. It requires the person in charge to be trained and to make sure every food handler is trained (regulation 10(1)(d)), and to produce the records on request. ASC certificates carry the SAATCA (TC 065) and FoodBev SETA (587/00337/1900) accreditation details and a QR code that an inspector can scan to verify the learner and the course, which is what inspectors in East London and across South Africa check.
Which course do I need for a Certificate of Acceptability in East London?
The owner or manager takes Food Safety Practices for Persons in Charge of Food Premises (R1 699, 8h). Every person who handles food takes Food Safety Practices for Food Handlers (R899, 6h) or, for a first job in food, Basic Food Hygiene Awareness (R420, 4h). Spaza shops and informal traders have their own course. All of them are online and self-paced, and the certificate downloads the day you pass.
Where do I apply for a Certificate of Acceptability in East London?
Through Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Offices: Environmental Health, East London (043 705 2901 and 043 705 2907); Environmental Health, Qonce (King William’s Town) (043 705 8567). Customer care 043 722 0660, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:30. The full office list, documents and fees are in the ‘Where to apply’ section of this page.
How quickly can my East London staff be certified?
The same day. The Persons in Charge course takes about eight hours and Food Handlers about six; most learners finish in one sitting on a phone or laptop. Certificates are QR-verified and download the moment the final assessment is passed, so a new hire can be trained before their first shift.
Can ASC train my team on site in East London?
Yes. The ASC head office in Gqeberha is three hours down the N2, and on-site sessions in East London and Qonce are scheduled from there. Groups of any size also train online with one invoice and a manager dashboard that shows who has finished, with certificates ready for the inspector. Franchise groups including KFC and Spur outlets train their managers with ASC.
Do you cover the rest of Eastern Cape, not only East London?
Yes. This page covers East London and Mdantsane, Qonce (King William’s Town), Bhisho, Gonubie, Beacon Bay, Vincent, Nahoon, Amalinda, Cambridge, Duncan Village and Zwelitsha. Online courses are available anywhere with a connection, and on-site training is quoted for the whole province. See the city and province index for the other areas ASC serves.
Also serving
Food safety training near East London.
This page covers East London and Mdantsane, Qonce (King William’s Town), Bhisho, Gonubie, Beacon Bay, Vincent, Nahoon, Amalinda, Cambridge, Duncan Village and Zwelitsha; searches for food safety training in Buffalo City, Border region, Bhisho, Qonce and the Eastern Cape land here for a reason. Other areas: