Accredited food safety training in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Food safety training in Johannesburg: accredited R638 and HACCP courses, online, with a certificate the City of Johannesburg inspector can verify.
For restaurants, manufacturers, caterers, spaza shops and franchise groups in Johannesburg and Sandton, Randburg, Roodepoort, Soweto, Midrand, Fourways, Rosebank, Braamfontein, Lenasia, Diepsloot and Alexandra. 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 Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg?
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 JohannesburgBulk enrolment, one invoice, manager dashboardCertificate of Acceptability in Johannesburg
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 Johannesburg the Certificate of Acceptability is issued by the City of Johannesburg, through its Environmental Health directorate, through its regional environmental health offices. 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.
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.
The Joburg Market at City Deep is the largest fresh produce trading floor in Africa and handles close to half of the value traded through South African municipal markets, so a large share of the fruit and vegetables sold in the country passes through Johannesburg agents, packers and hawkers who need Certificate of Acceptability training. Industrial and food-manufacturing areas we train in include City Deep, Industria, Aeroton, Wynberg, Kya Sands, Strijdom Park and Devland.
- 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 Johannesburg
Where and how to apply for a Certificate of Acceptability in Johannesburg.
City of Johannesburg Health Department, Environmental Health, at the regional office for the area where the premises is. 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 | Address |
|---|---|
| Region A (Midrand, Diepsloot, Ivory Park) | Alphen Square North, Unit 7, corner George and 16th Avenue, Randjies Park, Midrand |
| Region B (Randburg, Northcliff, Rosebank) | Corner Main Reef Road and Avon Street, Langlaagte |
| Region C (Roodepoort) | 2nd Floor, 100 Christiaan de Wet Road, Florida Park, Roodepoort |
| Region D (Soweto) | Jabulani Civic Centre, 1 Koma Road, Jabulani |
| Region E (Sandton, Alexandra) | 1st Floor, Building 1, 137 Daisy Street, Sandown, Sandton |
| Region F (inner city, Johannesburg South) | 6th Floor, CJ Cronje Building, 80 Loveday Street, corner Bree Street, Johannesburg |
| Region G (Ennerdale, Lenasia, Orange Farm) | Ennerdale Civic Centre, 2nd Floor, corner Katz and Smith Streets, Ennerdale Extension 9 |
Joburg Connect call centre 0860 562 874 for the right regional office and its hours.
Official pages and forms
How to apply
- Take the documents to the Environmental Health office for your region (list above).
- An environmental health practitioner inspects the premises against R638.
- The certificate is issued in the name of the person in charge and must be displayed on the premises.
- Attach a copy to the spaza or business licence application if you need one.
Documents to prepare
- Certified copy of the ID, passport or asylum permit of the person in charge (less than three months old)
- Proof of the business address: municipal account or a landlord affidavit
- Lease, title deed or owner consent for the premises
- Council land-use consent under the Land Use Scheme 2018 and the approved building plan with the layout
- For a spaza shop or general dealer, the business licence and fire certificate are applied for in the same pack; the Certificate of Acceptability is attached to it
Fee and turnaround
The City states there is no fee for the Certificate of Acceptability itself. A business licence costs R1 066.68 and the emergency services certificate R444 (City of Johannesburg registration annexure, 2024). Not published; ask the regional office when you submit.
What the inspector checks
Structure and finishes, hand-wash facilities, water and waste, temperature control, pest control, personal hygiene and the training record for every food handler (regulation 10(1)(d)).
By December 2024 Johannesburg had issued 617 Certificates of Acceptability in the spaza registration drive (Gauteng Provincial Government statement, 18 December 2024).
Courses Johannesburg businesses buy most
Six courses cover almost every food premises in Johannesburg.
- 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 Johannesburg
Written for the food businesses that operate in Johannesburg.
Sandton, Rosebank, Melrose Arch, Fourways and Maboneng carry some of the densest concentrations of restaurants and hotel kitchens in the country. Persons in Charge training for the manager, food handler training for the crew, and one manager dashboard per group.
Manufacturers in City Deep, Industria, Aeroton and Kya Sands need GMP and HACCP training that auditors and retail customers recognise, alongside the R638 basics for every handler on the floor.
The City of Johannesburg registers spaza shops and requires a Certificate of Acceptability for the premises. The Informal Traders and Spaza Shops course is written for exactly this application.
School nutrition programme kitchens, corporate canteens, events caterers and cloud kitchens across the city fall under R638 like any other food premises.
On-site and in-house training
Train a Johannesburg kitchen, plant or franchise group on one dashboard.
The ASC Johannesburg branch in Ferndale, Randburg, serves the whole of Gauteng for on-site and in-house training, usually within a week of your quote.
- 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 Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg
What Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg?
City of Johannesburg. 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 Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg and across South Africa check.
Which course do I need for a Certificate of Acceptability in Johannesburg?
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 Johannesburg?
Through City of Johannesburg Health Department. Offices: Region A (Midrand, Diepsloot, Ivory Park) at Alphen Square North, Unit 7, corner George and 16th Avenue, Randjies Park, Midrand; Region B (Randburg, Northcliff, Rosebank) at Corner Main Reef Road and Avon Street, Langlaagte; Region C (Roodepoort) at 2nd Floor, 100 Christiaan de Wet Road, Florida Park, Roodepoort; Region D (Soweto) at Jabulani Civic Centre, 1 Koma Road, Jabulani. Joburg Connect call centre 0860 562 874 for the right regional office and its hours. The full office list, documents and fees are in the ‘Where to apply’ section of this page.
How quickly can my Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg?
Yes. The ASC Johannesburg branch in Ferndale, Randburg, serves the whole of Gauteng for on-site and in-house training, usually within a week of your quote. 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 Gauteng, not only Johannesburg?
Yes. This page covers Johannesburg and Sandton, Randburg, Roodepoort, Soweto, Midrand, Fourways, Rosebank, Braamfontein, Lenasia, Diepsloot and Alexandra. 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 Johannesburg.
This page covers Johannesburg and Sandton, Randburg, Roodepoort, Soweto, Midrand, Fourways, Rosebank, Braamfontein, Lenasia, Diepsloot and Alexandra; searches for food safety training in Gauteng, Johannesburg North, Johannesburg South, West Rand and Sandton land here for a reason. Other areas: